


Strength in numbers

by Dahlia_Rose_83



Series: friendship [2]
Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: F/M, M/M, Season 3+4 AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-27
Updated: 2016-11-05
Packaged: 2018-07-27 02:42:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 24,323
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7600351
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dahlia_Rose_83/pseuds/Dahlia_Rose_83
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sequel to “What friends are for” – Klaus is still causing trouble, Damon is frustrated and Liz meets the new guy in town.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I know, I said a series of oneshots. Well, this part will have a few more chapters. Hope you don't mind.  
> Sean was the idea of one of my German readers (He already appeared in “Driving home for Christmas”, though this is a very different story). The rest is all me – butchering the events of season 3, mixing them up with season 4. I like my version better.

Strength in numbers   
   
“Don’t start again.“ Alaric growled, barely resisting the urge to pull the covers over his head. “It doesn’t matter what Klaus did to me. I survived. You saved me. End of story.” Damon, who was sitting in bed next to him, regarded him with a frown. Two days had gone by since he and Liz had freed the teacher from Klaus’ captivity. Thanks to a little blood-donation by Damon, Ric had recovered quickly, but he still refused to talk about what had happened. And the vampire wasn’t used to backing down easily. He thought Ric might be more talkative when he started pestering him with questions early in the morning, while he wasn’t really awake yet. But it hadn’t worked.  
   
With a sigh Alaric grabbed Damon’s wrist, pulling him down to lie beside him. “Can we please drop the subject now, or do you really want to start a fight with me at..” he glanced at the clock and rolled his eyes, “at 6:00 AM in the morning?” The vampire slid back beneath the cover and cuddled against him. “I don’t want to fight.” he muttered petulantly, sounding like a little kid. Ric couldn’t suppress a grin. Sometimes he wondered why he even bothered with Damon. And then the vampire did something cute like that and he remembered exactly why. He just loved this idiot, even if he hadn’t dared to voice it aloud so far.  
   
For a few minutes Damon remained silent and Ric enjoyed just laying here with him. Elena had spent the night at Caroline’s house and Jeremy had an early shift at the Grill, so the vampire didn’t have to sneak out, like he had done yesterday. Alaric didn’t like the secrecy, but he was too afraid of people’s reactions, especially that of Elena and the other kids, to out himself officially. To make things even worse, Elena seemed to have developed a crush on Damon lately. Ric loved her like a sister and didn’t want to hurt her in any way.   
   
He smiled slightly when the vampire started drawing invisible symbols on his chest with a finger. Keeping his eyes closed, despite the fact that he could practically feel his boyfriend watching him, he just enjoyed the light touch. Damon was glad that Ric didn’t open his eyes. He had no idea what the teacher would see on his face right now. Did he notice that Damon’s hand stopped just above his heart every once in a while, to feel it beating? Did he have any idea how scared Damon was of losing him?  
   
The dark-haired vampire just couldn’t get those horrible images out of his head. Again and again he saw Alaric in that storage building, unconscious and covered in his own blood. He was afraid of ever letting him out of sight again. Afraid that Klaus might kidnap him again or even worse. Since his rescue he was practically glued to Ric’s side, even if he knew that he would soon be grating on the teacher’s nerves with his over-protectiveness. It was a wonder that he hadn’t complained already. Especially since Damon also kept pestering him with questions.  
   
“Ric…” he started hesitantly, but the teacher groaned in annoyance, opened his eyes and interrupted him: “Damon, I swear, if you ask one more time what Klaus has done to me, I’ll stake you in the thigh!” His tone showed that he was dead serious. “You can’t change it and I don’t want you getting into a fight with Klaus over it. He’s stronger than you. And I don’t want to be reminded of it all the time. I just want to put it behind me, okay?” he continued a little more gentle, upon seeing the hurt look on Damon’s face. “Okay.” the vampire finally gave in. He knew when Ric’s patience was at an end and the teacher was unfortunately right. Attacking Klaus would get him nowhere. The hybrid had proven quite a few times that he was way stronger than him.  
   
“Move in with me.” Okay, probably not the smoothest way of changing the topic and Alaric was looking at him like he’d lost his mind, but he had wanted to ask him for a while now. And at least he had managed to surprise his boyfriend. Surprised was better than pissed. “What?” the teacher asked. “Move in with me.” Damon repeated. “What prompted that offer?“ Ric wanted to know. The vampire sat up and shrugged. “It’s a plausible idea. You’re always at my house anyway.“ With a sigh Alaric sat up as well. So much for a quiet morning in bed. “That’s not true.“ he claimed, although he had to admit that he spent a lot of time at the boarding house lately. “Besides, I’m still Elena and Jeremy’s guardian, in case you’ve forgotten.”  
   
“Elena is 18. She doesn’t need a guardian anymore. And neither does her brother. A few weeks ago you said as much. You packed your things and left.” Damon reminded. “And then I realized that they do need me still.“ Ric insisted. “You’re not even really living here. You still got your apartment, although you never use it these days. Wouldn’t it be better to have one real home, instead of just three places to crash at? And you could still be there for Jeremy and Elena without living with them. You’re already spending a few nights a week at my house.” Which was true, but Ric wasn’t about to give in so easily.  
   
“And what should I tell people, why I’m suddenly moving in with you? What should I tell Elena and Jeremy?” he asked. “How about the truth? That we’re a couple and taking the next step by moving in with each other.” Alaric groaned in annoyance. “I thought we had cleared this up.” Damon crossed his arms over his chest and pouted. “We didn’t clear anything up. You said you don’t want to make it public yet. And then you refused to talk about it again.” he reminded. “And I don’t understand why you’re making such a fuss. Even Liz said that people would accept it.”  
   
“And I still can’t believe you talked to Liz Forbes about our relationship.” the teacher grumbled. So much for keeping it a secret. “She started it. I didn’t tell her we’re dating. She saw it, Ric. And she didn’t care.“ Alaric didn’t answer, which made the vampire’s temper rise. “Damn it, Ric. I don’t wanna have to hide forever. I don’t wanna have to watch women hitting on you or Elena trying to match make you. You should be proud to call me your boyfriend, instead of feeling ashamed of me!” Because he was Damon Salvatore. He was fucking hot and according to Carol Lockwood an eligible bachelor. Ric should flaunt him, instead of keeping him a secret.  
   
“I’m not ashamed of you, Damon.” Ric protested. “It’s just…” he started to explain, only to be interrupted by the ringing of Damon’s phone. The vampire answered it with a frown. “Liz, what’s up?” Alaric watched his face getting darker with growing unease. “Sure, I’m on my way.” he finally promised, hanging up and turning back to his boyfriend. “Get dressed. There’s trouble. Big surprise.“ Yeah, big surprise. This town couldn’t be peaceful for a few days. Alaric did as he was told, but flinched when Damon suddenly promised: “But this talk isn’t done yet.” The teacher had already feared that. He only hoped that whatever new crisis had arisen, would keep his boyfriend busy for a while and give him more time to think.  
   
***  
   
“Mr. Hopkins, please calm down. We’ll get to the bottom of this, I promise. But you’ll have to let me do my work, okay? So please, tell one of my deputies exactly what happened.” Liz sighed in relief when the angry man finally listened to her and followed deputy Smith to the waiting police car. She almost felt bad for Smith, because he now had to endure the endless tirade. Almost. Because Smith was the one she had caught loudly making guesses about her relationship with Damon Salvatore yesterday. So he deserved it.  
   
What a mess. And first thing in the morning to top it off. What a way to start the day. She rubbed her throbbing temples and had to fight another sigh when she spied a tall man in a fireman’s uniform walking toward her. “Sheriff Forbes?” he asked hesitantly. Liz pulled herself together and told him that she was indeed the sheriff. “We haven’t met yet. I’m Sean Mitchell.” he introduced himself. “Ah yes, you’re the new chief firefighter, right? Carol Lockwood told me your name.” the blonde remembered, shaking his hand in greeting. He would be replacing Tony, who had been killed by one of Klaus’ hybrids a couple of weeks ago. She’d had quite a bit of trouble hushing it up.  
   
“Yeah, just moved here last week. So I haven’t met many people, yet. Today is my first day at work.” Sean let her know. “And it starts with a fire at 6 am in the morning. I hope you’re not already regretting your decision.” the sheriff murmured, causing Sean to laugh. “Don’t worry. I’ve worked for the firefighters in New Orleans for years. Things like that were pretty common there. It takes a bit more to put me off a job.“ he assured. “Although I’ve gotta admit I was expecting life here to be a bit quieter.” He smiled to show that he was only joking and Liz automatically smiled back. “Well, if you thought Mystic Falls was a quiet and peaceful little town I’ll have to disappoint you.” she replied, nearly biting her tongue seconds later. She should be really careful with words like that, no matter how true they were. Sean Mitchell was an outsider, who knew nothing of her town. And it should better stay that way.  
   
“Can you already tell me something about the fire?” she quickly changed the topic. Sean’s face darkened. “Yes, I can. I have to tell you that it was deliberate.“ Sheriff Forbes stifled yet another sigh. She had already known that, of course. But she only asked: “Are you completely sure?”, because it was the usual thing to ask in a situation like this. She knew the drill. “A hundred percent sure. The arsonist used gas, but lucky for us he or she wasn’t the smartest one. They emptied a can of gas in front of the back door and set fire to it. The fire spread rather slowly and the neighbors noticed and contacted us immediately, so we could put it out quickly. No-one was harmed and the damage isn’t severe either. If the arsonist had noticed that the back door was unlocked and set fire inside the house it might have gone a lot differently.”  
   
Liz could already guess why the arsonist hadn’t entered the house. Or more specifically, why he or she hadn’t been able to enter the house, despite the unlocked door. But she only nodded, while she listened to Sean’s thoughts about the arsonist and the way things might have gone down. “I’ll set my deputies on the case. Please hand in your report as soon as possible.” she finally asked. “Of course. And if you have further questions or if I can help you in any way, please let me know.“ Liz nodded and thanked him for the offer, but her eyes strayed to Damon and Alaric, who were standing nearby, giving her quizzical looks.  
   
She excused herself and went to join them. “Okay, what’s with the cryptic phone call? I don’t think you asked us to come here because of the fire, did you?” Damon guessed. Sheriff Forbes looked around quickly, but no-one seemed to be listening. “Not really. The house over there belongs to Bonnie’s father. Klaus told one of his hybrids to set fire to it. Then he called Bonnie and threatened her. He said the fire would only be the beginning, if she didn’t give him the coffins.” she explained. “Is Bonnie okay? Did anyone get hurt?” Alaric asked, immediately worried. “Bonnie’s fine. She spent the night over at our house. Pajama-party with Caroline and Elena. That way I heard everything first-hand. And the hybrid seemed to have been pretty stupid. The firefighters managed to put the fire out quickly. Bonnie’s dad is totally pissed, but unharmed and the damage is minimum. We were lucky.”   
   
Liz gave the two men a minute to process this, before continuing: “But Bonnie is scared. Klaus hit her weak spot.” Damon nodded, casting a pointed look at Alaric. “Yeah, he’s good at that.“ The teacher ignored the jibe. “We need to find a way to get rid of Klaus once and for all.” he pointed out what they all knew. “I’m starting to think there is no way to get rid of him.” the sheriff said with a sigh. “What’s that supposed to mean? You’re just giving up?“ Damon sounded almost shocked. “I’m not giving up. I’m just being realistic. We don’t stand a chance against a thousand year old hybrid. Mikael didn’t manage to kill Klaus. How can we succeed?“  
   
“There are a lot of things we haven’t tried yet. We just need more time. Even Klaus has to have a weak spot.” the dark-haired vampire insisted. “Damon is right. We just need to find it.“ Alaric agreed. Liz on the other hand just felt awfully tired. She had enough of all those fights, of the plans and catastrophes. “I just want to protect my town. And the people in it. If I have to make a deal with Klaus to do so, I’m willing to do it.” she explained. When both men protested, she cut them off. “I’m not expecting you to give up. Far from it, in fact. I want to you keep looking for a way to get rid of him. But please try to be subtle about it, okay? Back off a little, at least for a while. Let’s not give him any more reason to kill innocents.” the blonde asked.  
   
The men hesitantly agreed. “Maybe we should talk to Stefan. He knew Klaus in the 20s. Maybe he knows something that might help us.” Alaric mused. Damon snorted. “Stefan is insane lately. He’s having this stupid feud with Klaus. You don’t really think you can have a nice chat with him? Especially about the guy who ruined his life.” Liz had to agree with him, but when it came to stubbornness, Damon and Alaric were pretty evenly matched. “We could at least try.” the teacher insisted. The two of them glared at each other, until the vampire gave in with a sigh. “Fine, let’s talk to Stefan. Even if it’s a waste of time. We’ll keep you updated, Liz.“  
   
Sheriff Forbes watched them walking back to Damon’s car, bickering all the while. Once again she wondered why no-one seemed to notice what was really going on between them. It was so obvious. They showed their true feelings with every word, every gesture, every look. Shaking her head she finally turned away and went to her own car. It was time to hush up another crime. To start an investigation that would lead nowhere. Sometimes she really hated her job.


	2. Chapter 2

When Damon and Alaric reached the boarding house they quickly noticed they weren’t the only ones wanting a word with Stefan. They found the younger Salvatore sitting on the couch with a bored expression, while Bonnie was walking up and down in front of him, raging about Klaus. Caroline and Elena were watching everything from a safe distance.  
   
Ric didn’t miss how Elena’s face lit up upon seeing Damon. But he had no time to fret about it, because Bonnie had just declared she would tell Klaus where those damn coffins were hidden and turned away. Stefan jumped up and blocked her path. “The coffins will stay where they are and you’re not telling Klaus anything. I’m not allowing him to get what he wants, Bonnie!” he growled. The witch didn’t back down. “Get out of my way, Stefan.” she ordered calmly. The vampire only took another step towards her, glowering menacingly. “I said no.”  
   
Alaric glanced at Damon for help, but before either of them had time to react, Stefan took another step, Bonnie made a strange gesture with her hand and the younger Salvatore toppled to the ground with a broken neck. Elena cried out and Caroline gasped in shock. But Bonnie only looked down on the vampire with pity. “Sorry, Stefan. But I’m not allowing Klaus to threaten my family any further.” Her eyes slid over to Damon. “Are you going to block my way as well or…?” The dark-haired vampire hesitated a second. He looked thoughtful. “Can you give me ten minutes? Then you can tell Klaus whatever you want.“ he asked. Bonnie looked at him critically. “Ten minutes.” she finally agreed. “Great. Where are the coffins?“  
   
The witch only gave him a dark look and didn’t answer. “I won’t get rid of them or hide them somewhere else. I promise. They’ll stay exactly where they are right now. So please, tell me where that is.” the vampire nearly pleaded. “The old house, where the ghosts of the witches are.” Bonnie answered hesitantly, obviously still unsure about his intentions. “What are you planning?” Ric wanted to know. “I’ll tell you later. Wait here for me, okay?“ 

The teacher frowned, not at all happy about that request. “Damon, what..?” he tried again, but the vampire just grabbed his arm and gave him a pleading look. “Please, Ric. Just wait here.” With a sigh the teacher gave in, although he was sure that his boyfriend had a really stupid plan. Talking Damon out of something he had set his mind on was pretty much impossible. “Okay, fine. Don’t do anything too stupid.” Damon’s smile wasn’t reassuring, but before he could say anything else, the vampire had sped out of the house, leaving him alone with the three girls.  
   
“I’m heading out.” Bonnie broke the tense silence after a few minutes. “I’ll come with you. You shouldn’t be alone with Klaus.“ Caroline decided. Ric thought he should say something about that, maybe offer to come with them, but in the end he only nodded. Bonnie could take care of herself. She had just proven that he mused, casting a look at the fallen Stefan. And it was no secret that Klaus had a soft spot for Caroline. He wouldn’t harm her. 

“You should go home, Elena.” The brunette shook her head defiantly. “I’m waiting here with you for Damon‘s return.” she insisted and Ric had to stifle a sigh. Things couldn’t go on like this. That much was for sure. “Stefan should be up before Damon comes back.“ he pointed out, feeling a bit guilty for using her insecurity against her.  
   
Elena glanced at the prone form on the floor. “I’ll call you, if something happens.” the teacher promised, hoping she would finally take the hint and leave. He really liked the girl, but right now he just wanted to get rid of her. And he really had no idea what to do about the fact that she had a crush on his boyfriend. Maybe Damon was right after all and they should just tell her the truth, before it got any worse.  
   
“You promise to call me?” she prodded. “Yes, I promise.” Again her eyes strayed to Stefan. “Okay, I’ll head home then.“ she finally relented. Alaric breathed a sigh of relief. After the door had closed behind her he wandered into the kitchen. He had only just realized that he hadn’t eaten yet. Once again he was surprised how well stocked the fridge at the boarding house was. Spending the night here often meant breakfast in bed. Something he could get used to.  
   
The teacher brewed coffee and made himself some pancakes. He had just put the dishes into the sink when Stefan entered the kitchen. “I guess no-one stopped her, right?” Alaric shook his head. “She should already be with Klaus now. But Damon had a plan.” Stefan snorted in disgust and flopped onto a chair. Hesitating only a second, Alaric put a mug of coffee in front of him and sat down again as well. “You have to understand her, Stefan. She’s only trying to protect her family. If Klaus had threatened Damon…”  
   
“That wouldn’t have changed anything for me.” the vampire interrupted him. “I don’t believe that. You may not have cared when Klaus kidnapped me. Thanks for that, by the way. I had loads of fun with his hybrid-buddies.” the teacher quipped sarcastically, before continuing in a more level tone: “But you would do anything to save your brother. You’ve proven that more than once.” Stefan glared at him. “Why are you so sure of that? Just because you’re fucking my brother doesn’t mean you know shit about us.”  
   
Ric had already guessed that Stefan knew about him and Damon. That bloody vampire hearing. And they didn’t always manage to be quiet. But when the younger Salvatore thought he could shock him by presenting his knowledge he was wrong. Ric had been living in Mystic Falls for almost two years now. He was dating Damon since over a year. It was getting steadily harder to shock him. “I know enough. I know what you did to save his life. And I think I can hazard a pretty good guess what you’d do for him.“  
   
Stefan grumbled something unintelligible, but Ric didn’t pay attention. The front door had just opened and closed. Seconds later Damon entered the kitchen. “Stefan, awake again?” he joked. His brother didn’t answer. He was busy staring at his coffee mug, as if trying to set it on fire with a look. “Okay, what did you do?” Alaric wanted to know. “Well… I reached the house before Klaus and… let’s just say when he comes to collect his coffins, a little something will be missing.” he explained with a smirk, putting four ancient looking daggers down on the table. Ric stared at them in shock. Of course he recognized those. He had used one on Elijah once. “You pulled the daggers out of his siblings and awakened them? All of them?”  
   
Damon took a seat, shrugging dismissively. “Seemed like a good idea. If someone can stop a psychotic original vampire it should be other psychotic original vampires, right?” Alaric had to see some logic in that, which probably meant that he spent too much time around Damon and was slowly becoming just as crazy as the vampire. “Or they ally themselves with him and we have to fight five psychotic originals.” Stefan pointed out. “He daggered them and put them in coffins. Why should they side with him? Elijah already wanted to kill him once.” the dark-haired vampire reminded.  
   
“Yes and then he betrayed us and saved Klaus.” Okay, Stefan was right about that one. “And Klaus thanked him by daggering him and sticking him in a coffin.” Damon shot back. “Which should give him all the more reason to be pissed at his brother. So he’s still the best option we’ve got. Or do you have a better idea?” The younger Salvatore glared at his brother, but remained silent. “See, you don’t have a plan. And you should know that you couldn’t have hidden those coffins forever. Or did Katherine whisper some secret instructions in your ear, before she ran away yet again?”  
   
“Your brilliant plans didn’t get us anywhere. Klaus was always one step ahead of you. At least I managed to outsmart him.” Stefan growled. “That’s not helping, guys. If we want to stand a chance against Klaus we need to work together, instead of being at each others throats all the time.” Alaric intervened. “Even Klaus must have a weak spot. We just haven’t found it yet.“ he continued, looking directly at Stefan. “You and him were friends in the twenties. Sure you don’t know anything we could use against him?”  
   
“If I knew of some secret weapon, don’t you think I would’ve used it already?” the younger vampire growled in annoyance. “Think about it. Maybe you heard something you didn’t deem important back then. Some snippet of conversation.“ Alaric prodded. “I thought about it, believe me. And there’s nothing. He and Rebekah were running away from Mikael, but he’s dead now. Aside from him Klaus was never scared of anyone or anything. He threw these grand parties and had fun torturing people. He dragged me to art galleries and bored me half to death with his talk about paintings. And he kept complaining about his brothers. But that’s it.” Stefan raged, storming out of the kitchen before Ric could ask another question.  
   
“That went well.” Damon muttered sarcastically. “Yeah, yeah. Stefan was no help. You were right. Happy?“ the teacher admitted. “Ecstatic.” the vampire deadpanned, smirking at him. Ric shook his head with a resigned sigh and got himself another mug of coffee.  
   
For a while they sat in silence, both sipping their coffee, lost in thought. Until Damon suddenly looked up and whispered: “There’s someone in the library.” They exchanged a quick look, before getting up and creeping towards the door.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait. I've just got so many other ideas right now...

Once in the library they stopped abruptly. Elijah was standing at one of the bookshelves, calmly inspecting the contents. “I got your message.” he murmured, without turning around. “Oh yeah, the message. Dear Elijah, let’s get together and kill your brother. Best regards, Damon Salvatore.” Damon quoted. Elijah finally turned around to look at him. “So I’m assuming you’re the one who pulled the dagger out of my chest.”  
   
“Yep, that was me.” the dark-haired vampire confirmed. “Then I have to thank you. I would have come here sooner, but I got held up by an unexpected family gathering.” The original looked like he was stifling a grin. Alaric thought he looked good when he was smiling. Less aloof and more … human. “Yeah, since I was already at it I pulled out all the daggers. Was that a bad idea?” Damon asked, trying to mask his anxiousness. “Well, we’ll have to wait and see, I’m afraid. But I would ask you to give the daggers to me. Just to be on the safe side, of course. Although Finn has already asked to be put to sleep again.”  
   
“Finn?” Alaric asked. “My older brother. He has always been rather… melancholy, you could say. He could never accept what we had become. Life as a vampire is unacceptable for him. I always felt that Niklaus did him a favor by daggering him.” Damon and Ric exchanged a quick look and the teacher shrugged. While he thought it might be a bad idea to give the daggers away (Okay, they were useless against Klaus, but having a weapon against the other originals couldn’t hurt, right?) he felt that Damon should decide. The vampire’s thoughts were pretty much the same. “Okay, how about a compromise? I’ll give you three daggers, to show our good intentions. We keep the fourth one. Just to be safe.”  
   
Ric held his breath while Elijah thought about it. “I can understand that you don’t trust me. I have given you every reason. And I think that is a fair deal. Three daggers then.” the original finally agreed. Damon looked surprised, feeling that it had been a little too easy. But he wasn’t about to question Elijah’s motives. Instead he went to the kitchen to get three daggers. Elijah thanked him politely.  
   
“Concerning your request, I’m not sure how to answer. It is true that Niklaus and I have had our differences and that I have wanted his death not so long ago. I guess all of my siblings have wanted him dead on occasion over the last thousand years and have even tried sometimes to kill him. But still he is my brother.” Damon snorted in disgust. “You’re brother is a fucking psychopath!”  
   
“That he is, without a doubt. But family is very complicated. I’m sure you’ll agree with me on that. Tell me, Damon, if it was your brother, what would you do? You have a difficult relationship as well. I’m sure you wanted him dead sometimes. But could you really kill him?” Elijah asked. The older Salvatore hesitated. Yes, he had wanted Stefan dead. Had even claimed he would be the one to kill him. But no matter what Stefan did or what had happened in the past, he would always be his little brother. And that was all that mattered in the end.  
   
Elijah could obviously see it in his eyes, because he continued: “I think, when it comes to family, we’re all fools sometimes. And I’m probably the biggest fool of all, because I still try to see something good in Niklaus. I’m not ready to give up hope. Now that my family is reunited and our father is no longer a threat, I want us to start over. I don’t know if we’ll stay in Mystic Falls. Although Niklaus obviously plans on it. I will however make sure that my siblings pose no threat to the people of this town. You have my word.” he promised. Alaric didn’t believe that he’d be able to keep that promise, but he wasn’t about to start arguing with an original. Not if he could help it.  
   
“I’d prefer it if you left my town. As soon as possible. Maybe you can get your siblings to agree. If not, I hope they listen to you and don’t cause trouble. Cause we won’t hesitate to use the dagger. Against any of you.” Damon stated. Elijah nodded his head, looking almost pleased at his words. “I wouldn’t expect any less. Maybe you should hand the dagger over to the young Miss Gilbert. I understand that she’s the one who stabbed Rebekah in the back with a dagger. I managed to calm my sister down, but she has always been rather temperamental.” he warned, before finally taking his leave.  
   
“Shit, I totally forgot about Rebekah.” Damon had to admit. “Do you really think she’ll leave Elena alone?” Ric shrugged nervously. “Honestly? I have no idea. We have to warn Elena.“ Even if he had no desire to explain to her that there was a pissed off original after her. Damon agreed with that, but they had to warn her. “Okay, let’s pay her a visit. But you’re keeping the dagger. I trust your skills a lot more than hers.” the vampire decided. Alaric didn’t protest.  
   
***  
   
Meanwhile Liz Forbes entered the Mystic Grill, took a seat at the bar and cast a longing look at the various bottles of alcohol behind the counter. Damn, she could really use a drink right now, but she was still on duty. So when Jeremy came to take her order, she asked for a glass of water, a burger and fries. So she couldn’t get a drink. Junk food was the next best option. And maybe some chocolate later. And a hot bath. That would be wonderful. “Tough day? I heard about the fire.“ the teenager muttered. “I can’t remember the last easy day I had.” Liz admitted with a sigh. Jeremy nodded and went to the kitchen to place her order.  
   
Some time later she was taking another bite of her burger when Damon sat down beside her. “Ohhh, junk food alert. Looks like you’re having a bad day.” he commented. “You have no idea. I’d actually prefer scotch right now, but since I’m still on duty this will have to do.“ the blonde sighed. “Wow, sucks to be you.” Probably the nicest thing she could expect Damon to say, she thought with a wry smile. Sensitivity wasn’t his strong suit. “You look a little worse for wear as well. The talk with Stefan didn’t go as Alaric hoped, hm?”  
   
“Just like expected, yeah. And to top it off I had a fight Elena.” the vampire admitted. “With Elena? About what?“ Liz wanted to know. Elena was seriously crushing on Damon right now. What had he done to make her mad? “I might have undaggered Klaus’ siblings and forgot that Elena was the one who had shoved a dagger into Rebekah’s back. Let’s say Elena wasn’t too pleased.” And that was putting it nicely. She had shouted, called him a thoughtless idiot and actually thrown a vase at him, of all ridiculous things. Ric had sent him away then, while he tried to calm her down.  
   
Liz gasped in shock. “Are you seriously telling me that five original vampires are prowling through my town now?” she asked, hoping she had misunderstood him. “Four, I think. One of them wanted to be daggered again. And we have some sort of deal with Elijah. He promised to keep his siblings in check.” Damon felt no need to tell her that he didn’t think Elijah would succeed in keeping them in check. No need to make her worry. “And maybe they’ll move away. I mean, why should they settle down in a small town like Mystic Falls?“ The sheriff nodded slowly. It was possible. “Okay, I hope you’re right.” And even if he wasn’t – how much worse could it get?  
   
Damon told her about their talk with Elijah, while she finished her meal. Jeremy had just cleared the plate away, when a man entered the Grill, looking around for a moment, before walking towards Liz. He was about 45 years old, tall with broad shoulders, reddish-blond hair and a slight stubble. Only when he stopped directly in front of her, giving her a smile, did she recognize him. “Mister Mitchell, what can I do for you?” she asked politely. “Ah, nothing really. I just handed my report in and deputy Smith told me I’d find you here. Though there’s really nothing of importance in my report. At least nothing, you didn’t already know.”  
   
Liz nodded, noticing Damon’s questioning look. “Oh, sorry. Damon, this is Sean Mitchell, our new chief firefighter. Damon Salvatore, a… friend of the family.” she introduced. Both men shook hands and exchanged a few pleasantries, before Sean turned to the sheriff again. “So… if you have any questions, concerning my report or something else or if I can help you in any way, please feel free to call me. Anytime. I have quite some experience with arsonists. Maybe I can help. I could join you for the questioning of a suspect. Or at least give you some tips.“ he offered. “Thank you, Mister Mitchell. That’s very nice of you. Unfortunately we don’t have any suspects yet. But I’ll let you know if I need help.”  
   
Sean assured again that he would be glad to help and she shouldn’t hesitate to call him. Finally he rather reluctantly took his leave. “Ouch, way to let the poor guy down, Liz.” Damon commented with a grin. “What are you talking about?“ she asked, giving him a puzzled look. “Really? The guy was totally hitting on you. Didn’t you see the way he looked at you? Call me, sheriff. Anytime, sheriff.“ the vampire mocked. “He was only trying to help.“ the blonde protested, giving the vampire a doubtful look when he chuckled. “Yeah and I have a good idea of how he wants to help you. Believe me, Liz. He’s into you.” he claimed, waggling his eyebrows suggestively and continuing: “If you ask me, you should take him up on it. He’s not bad on the eyes and you wanted to go out more, remember?  
   
“Even if you were right, which you are not… There are five originals running rampant in my town. Who knows how many hybrids Klaus still has hidden here or what he plans next. I’ve got other things on my mind than dates.” the blonde protested. “Aw, come on. You’ll always find an excuse. If you want to wait until Mystic Falls becomes quiet and peaceful you’ll never get a date. You need to take the opportunity while it presents itself. I mean, come on. When was the last time you had sex?”  
   
Luckily Liz was saved from answering that one by the arrival of Alaric. The teacher stopped next to them, looked from her to Damon and then asked with a resigned sigh: “Okay, what has he done now?”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, only a very short chapter this time. Next will be longer again.

With a sigh sheriff Forbes took the next folder, flipping through the pages absent-mindedly, until she found the coroner’s report. For a moment she stared at the words animal attack. Then she took the required form and started filling it out. Cause of death: animal attack – accident. No further inquiry necessary. She could probably fill out these forms in her sleep by now, sad as it was. It said a lot about her town and her work here. Just as sad was the fact that no-one would really miss Tina Fell. Caroline had told her that people at school weren’t even mourning her, but going about their life as always. Maybe the last couple of years had hardened them all. This town had seen too much death.  
   
The only thing that really surprised the sheriff was the fact that poor Tina was the only victim so far. The whole original family had been free to roam the streets of Mystic Falls for five days now and things were surprisingly peaceful as of yet. Rebekah was attending school again and tried very hard to kick Caroline out of the cheerleader-squad. But aside from that she was behaving almost shockingly well. The other Mikaelson’s barely showed their faces around town. Unfortunately Liz couldn’t shake the feeling that it was only the calm before the storm right now and that the worst was yet to come.  
   
A knock at the door shook her out of those depressing thoughts. She called “come in” and wasn’t really surprised to find Sean Mitchell entering her office. He had stopped by every day to check on the case of the arsonist, who had set fire to Mister Hopkins house. And Liz had to admit that she quite enjoyed his visits. She liked talking to the fireman. His ideas and suggestions often gave her a new view on things. And he had a wicked sense of humor.  
   
“I hope I didn’t disturb you.” he apologized when he saw her desk overflowing with paperwork. “Not at all. Just the usual paperwork.” Liz assured, signing the form and putting it in the folder. Sean glanced at the photo on top of it. “The girl who was found dead two days ago?” he asked. “Yes, Tina Fell. It was a tragic accident.” the blonde murmured. “Poor thing. She was still so young. Seems like such a waste.“ Sean murmured. “But at least you can tell her parents what happened. That way they can find closure, right?” That fact did little to comfort the sheriff, but she nodded nonetheless.  
   
“Anything new about the arsonist?” the fireman changed the topic, seeing her sad look. “No, unfortunately not. I’m afraid, we didn’t get any further. There are no witnesses, no fingerprints or DNA, not even a trace of a possible motive… I think we’ll have to call it a cold case and put it aside.” Sheriff Forbes hated lying to this compassionate and helpful man, but there was nothing to be done about it. No-one could ever find out the truth about that fire. Especially not an outsider.  
   
“Can’t you give it a few more days?” Liz shook her head sadly. She wanted to be done with this farce of a case and have it off her shoulders. And there really was no reason to delay the inevitable any longer. “I’m afraid, no. It’s hard, but sometimes you just have to accept that you won’t solve a case and let the matter rest.” Especially when you know from the start that nothing would come of it. “I understand. I just hate seeing an arsonist escape. And also… I won’t have an excuse for visiting you anymore.“ Sean admitted with a bashful smile. “I’m sorry, really. But without any new evidence…” the blonde murmured, not sure what to make of his words.  
   
“Yes, of course. I understand. You have a lot of other things to take care of. And it’s pretty much impossible to find the one responsible. I… I really don’t want to hold you up any longer. I should go.” Sean turned away, took a step towards the door, but stopped there, seemingly torn. Suddenly he turned back around. “I’m sorry if I’m too bold or anything. I’m totally out of practice with these things, I fear, but… would you like to go out to dinner with me?” For a moment Liz could only stare at him, completely taken aback by the invitation. It was plain to see that he was growing even more nervous under her stare.  
   
“Yes, I’d like that.” she finally answered, once she had found her voice again. Sean’s lips turned up in a grin and she felt her cheeks growing hot. God, she wasn’t blushing now, was she? Like a bloody school-girl. What must he think of her? But the fireman seemed too taken aback by her answer to notice her flush. “Great. How about Friday night? Dinner at the Grill?“ he asked, not quite managing to hide his surprise. She was just as surprised by her answer, truth be told. “Yes, sounds good.” she agreed. “Okay, I’ll pick you up, okay? Around seven?“ Liz nodded. “Great. Then… I’ll see you on Friday.“ Again she nodded, feeling incredibly stupid and totally out of depth. “Yes, see you on Friday.”  
   
After Sean had left Liz just sat there for what felt like hours, staring dumbly at the closed door. Oh god, she had a date!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A longer chapter this time. Just like I promised.

A strange noise outside got Damon’s attention. He cocked his head, listening intently, but then dismissed it with a shrug and concentrated on his book again. At least he tried to. He had been sitting in front of the fireplace with a glass of bourbon and a good book for almost an hour now, but he just couldn’t focus. Alaric had gone to the Gilbert house, after telling him clearly that he didn’t want to see the vampire there. The fact that Damon followed him around all the time was really starting to piss him off. It was a wonder that he’d been patient for so long. After stating: “I’m no little kid, Damon! I can look after myself.” he had left the boarding house in a huff.  
   
Of course Ric was more than capable of looking after himself. Damon would never doubt that. But he just couldn’t shake this damn fear and he hated the fact that the teacher would be out of his reach for half the day and the whole night. Maybe he should just ignore Ric’s words and show up at the Gilberts later. He just had to come up with an excuse. Shouldn’t be too hard.  
   
They hadn’t talked about their relationship and his offer to have Alaric move in with him again. The teacher always changed the subject, when Damon mentioned it. It was starting to piss him off and they had already fought about it twice. He really had no idea why Ric was acting like this. And he was fed up with all the dumb excuses. They needed to talk about it like it adults. And okay, so maybe it was pretty hilarious that Damon of all people wanted to talk things out like an adult. Ric was probably rubbing off on him. Maybe he was actually growing up. Yeah, shocking thought.  
   
With a sigh he drained his glass and got up to refill it, when he heard it again. And this time there was no doubt. Someone was creeping around the house. Damon snuck to the door, opened it quietly and peeked outside. He blinked, wondering if he had imagined the dark shadow disappearing around the corner. Stifling another sigh he went through the door and crept forwards, careful not to make a sound. Once he rounded the corner he spied a man a few feet ahead. He was looking around, sniffing the air like a dog. Just great. There was no doubt what this sniffing meant.  
   
Damon blurred across the garden, appearing in front of the guy, who had no time to react. The vampire’s hand shot forward, ripping out his heart in a fluid motion. The hybrid dropped dead and Damon looked down on him in disgust. Great – just what they needed right now. Klaus’ little minions returning to town. The only good thing about the incident was the fact that he now had the perfect excuse to see Ric. Because he had to warn his boyfriend, right?  
   
But he decided to wait another hour or so. The teacher had been pretty pissed when he’d stormed out earlier. Maybe it was better to give him some more time to cool off. Also Elena might be out when he arrived later. It was Friday after all. So he put the dead hybrid into the trunk of his car and drove to the forest to get rid of him. Afterwards he decided to pay a visit to sheriff Forbes and warn her.  
   
He knocked on the door and waited. It took a few minutes, until Liz finally opened the door, greeting him with the words: “Oh it’s only you. Thank god.” Damon regarded her with raised eyebrows and followed her inside. “Nice greeting. Were you expecting someone else?” She seemed a little out of it, now that he looked at her closely. She also had more make-up on than usual. And was that perfume? Interesting. “Sean wanted to pick me up at seven. I thought he might be early.“ Liz explained. “Sean?“  
   
“Sean Mitchell, the fireman.“ The blonde ruffled her hair, smoothed down her blouse and kept fidgeting restlessly. “Ohhh you’ve got a date with the hot new guy.” Damon realized, grinning at her. Liz looked more like she was waiting for her own execution. “What the hell was I thinking? I haven’t been on a date since Bill. I almost asked Caroline for pointers on what to wear.” she admitted. “Why? You look stunning.“ And she did. Black jeans, a light-blue blouse with matching pumps and some light make-up, that enhanced her natural beauty perfectly. Damon always wondered that she never seemed to realize how pretty she really was.  
   
“Really, Liz. You look great.” he assured again, when she only gave him a doubtful look. “And now relax. It’s great that you have a date. He seems like an okay guy. And I told you he’s into you.” He couldn’t help himself. He just had to rub it in that he’d been right. “What are you even doing here? Did something happen?” the blonde changed the subject. Always the sheriff. “Nothing important. We can discuss it tomorrow. Have fun at your date.” Damon insisted. “Are you sure? I can cancel the date, or…“  
   
A knock at the door cut her off mid-sentence. “Nope, you can’t. He’s already here.” Damon announced with a grin. Liz paled and stared at the door. Rolling his eyes in exasperation, the vampire helped her put her jacket on, pushed her purse into her hands and shoved her towards the door. “Go and have fun, Liz. We can save the world tomorrow. Even you deserve a day off. And if he turns out to be a psycho, just call me. I’ll come and break his neck.” The blonde heaved a resigned sigh and finally opened the door. “Hey, sorry I’m early, right?” Sean asked worriedly. “Not at all. I just had something to discuss with Liz and showed up unannounced. But I won’t disturb you two any longer. Have fun.” Damon said with a grin. He got into his car and watched the fireman holding the door open for Liz, before driving off.  
   
***  
   
“Liz has a date with the new fireman.” Damon announced loudly, upon entering the Gilbert house. Alaric looked up from the paper he was grading. “And you came here just to tell me that?” The vampire sat down on the couch next to him and helped himself to some bourbon. Ric always had a glass of alcohol nearby when he was grading papers. “No, I actually came here to inform you about the hybrid I caught sneaking around outside my house earlier.”  
   
That got him Ric’s undivided attention. “Are you sure it was a hybrid? .. Okay, forget that. Of course you’re sure. Have you already disposed of the body?“ Ric knew him too well. “Yep, buried him in the woods. But when Klaus’ little slave army comes crawling back to Mystic Falls we might have a problem.” the vampire stated what they both knew. “You’re right. Don’t think we’re lucky enough that it was just one of them, huh? Do you think we should talk to Elijah about it?”  
   
“Not sure if that would help. Do you really think he can control Klaus? I’m surprised that the originals kept this quiet for so long, truth be told. And aside from that, how would we even contact him? Did he give you his number?” Damon asked. “No, he didn’t. But I could ask Rebekah. She’s one of my students and I suppose Elijah is her guardian, don’t you think?” The vampire simply rolled his eyes and didn’t answer.  
   
“Okay, so… what are we gonna do about the hybrids?” Ric asked after a while. “No idea. Maybe we should leave it to Stefan. He managed to convince Klaus last time to send his little minions away.”  
“Yeah, by threatening to turn Elena. She’s still not over the whole incident.” the teacher reminded. And Elena really had enough to worry about right now. She was nervous, slept badly and was plagued by nightmares. And she flinched every time she saw Rebekah. Much to the blonde original’s cruel pleasure.  
   
“He could just remind Klaus of the whole thing. Elena wouldn’t have to get involved.” Damon suggested. Alaric nodded thoughtfully. “Might be worth a try. Ask your brother if he can talk to Klaus again. If Klaus believes he’s still crazy, he might send his hybrids away again. But tell him to leave Elena out of it this time.” he agreed. “Will do.” the vampire promised. He had no desire to let his brother traumatize Elena again either. It would only force him to be her shoulder to cry on again and she was already getting way too clingy for his liking lately. She had forgiven him for undaggering Rebekah surprisingly fast. And in the end Stefan only hurt himself by rejecting Elena. Damon was sure that his brother was still madly in love with the brunette and only pushing her away, because he felt he was bad for her.  
   
“Okay, so that’s decided. Can I stay overnight?” Alaric gave his boyfriend an annoyed look. Now he was starting that again. “I’m not trying to look after you, if you think that. I only want sex.” Damon assured, blinking at him innocently. The teacher snorted. Very romantic. But almost every time those pleading blue eyes turned to him, he gave in. And this time was no exception. He just couldn’t resist those baby blues. And Damon knew it. “Okay. I guess I can finish grading papers tomorrow. Come here.“ he muttered, pulling the vampire into a kiss. Damon wrapped both arms around him, scooted even closer and deepened the kiss. It didn’t take long until their hands started wandering. After a couple of minutes of making out like horny teenagers, Alaric finally broke the kiss and gasped: “Let’s go upstairs.” They had the house to themselves right now. Elena was off with Bonnie and Jeremy had a shift at the Grill. So they wouldn’t have to be quiet for a change and he wanted to take advantage of that.  
   
They stumbled up the staircase and into his bedroom, where both quickly got rid of their clothes, before toppling into bed together. Damon pushed Ric down on his back and let his lips drift over the teacher’s chest, licking and nibbling at every sensitive bit of skin. It didn’t take long until Ric was arching into his touches, but the vampire took his time. He had provoked the fight earlier and this was his way of making up for it. Slowly he moved down, over Ric’s belly to his thighs. One of Ric’s hands tangled in his dark hair and he groaned loudly when Damon finally showed mercy by taking his length into his mouth.  
   
All too soon the vampire stopped his ministrations and reached into the nightstand to retrieve the lube. He put some onto his fingers and watched Alaric through half-lidded eyes while he prepared himself. The teacher couldn’t tear his eyes away from the tempting sight and had to fight the urge to touch himself. It would be over way too soon if he did and he had other plans than jerking off.  
   
Finally Damon pulled his fingers out and had barely enough time to wipe the last traces of lube off, before Alaric pushed him face down on the bed. The teacher leaned over him, kissed his neck, bit his shoulder playfully. Damon arched against him, grumbling petulantly. “Stop teasing, damn it.” For a second Ric was tempted to keep him waiting a while longer. But he couldn’t wait anymore either, so instead of drawing it out, he pushed into his boyfriend in one smooth stroke.  
   
He didn’t give the vampire time to adjust. He pulled back right away, only to push in again, quickening the pace with each thrust. Damon clawed at the covers, pushed back against him with equal fervor, wanting more. Ric’s hand found his erection and started stroking it in time with his thrusts. The double stimulation soon proved to be too much. With a gasp Damon came hard all over Ric’s hand and his own belly, trembling when Ric thrust into him a few more times, before he too found his release, sinking down on Damon with a shuddering sigh.  
   
They laid like this for a few moments. “You’re heavy.” Damon finally complained, since Ric was pressing him into the mattress with his whole weight. And he was also lying in a wet spot. “Pussy.” the teacher shot back, rolling over onto his back. Damon snuggled against his chest, his fingers drawing invisible patterns on Ric’s naked skin, combing lightly through the hair on his chest. “Can I…?” Without a word Ric cocked his head to the side, baring his throat. No further invitation needed. The vampire kissed his throat, following the vein with his tongue, before sinking his fangs into the tender skin.  
   
Ric gasped a little, but it barely hurt. And it was a familiar pain. Damon only took a small sip, like he always did. Then he licked over the wound and bit into his own lip, leaning down to kiss Alaric. The teacher sucked on his bleeding lip, feeling the bite-wound already closing. With a content sigh Damon cuddled into his arms again. “Night, Ric.” Alaric turned off the light, pulled his vampire even closer and settled down to sleep. “Night, Damon.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Liz has a date. Finally. And Sean seems nice, so what can go wrong? Well, this is Mystic Falls, so...

Meanwhile Liz and Sean were still at the Mystic Grill. The sheriff had shed her initial nervousness during dinner and now felt pretty stupid for fretting the way she had. The evening was turning out a lot better than she had anticipated. Sean was charming and funny and they found a lot of topics aside from work, so there were no awkward silences. She enjoyed talking to Sean and forgetting all her worries for one night.  
   
When they finally left the Grill it was already late, but the place was still packed. No wonder, since it was Friday night and you didn’t have many alternatives in Mystic Falls. “Thank you for the invitation. It was a really nice evening.” Liz murmured, when they stepped out into the night. “Yes, it was.” Sean agreed, before asking in a hopeful tone: “Does that mean we’ll repeat this soon?” The blonde had to smile. He was really cute. “I would like that.” Maybe Damon and Caroline were right. It was time to think of herself for a change. She’d had fun tonight. Maybe she would even ask Sean to accompany her to the next founders party.  
   
Halfway to the car she was jostled from her thoughts, when a young, dark-haired guy appeared seemingly out of nowhere. He was seizing her up with a somewhat manic grin. “Well, if it isn’t the sheriff.” She felt goose bumps rising on her skin and some instinct told her: vampire. But her voice didn’t waver when she asked: “Can I help you?” His grin got bigger. “I’m sure you can. See, this hellhole is driving me insane. Elijah is always preaching and barely lets us out of the house. And now Rebekah won’t even allow me to cause some mischief at the Grill. She’s obviously got a thing for the barkeeper. How ridiculous is that? But I don’t wanna get on her bad side. She can be a total psycho bitch, you know?” he kept babbling, confirming Liz’ worst fears. Not only a vampire, but an original vampire to top it off.  
   
“Sounds like a complicated family dynamic, but we were actually just leaving. Why don’t you come to the sheriff’s office, if you need help?” Sean asked, stepping in front of Liz protectively. He obviously felt the threat the guy was posing as well, even if he didn’t know how much of a threat he was. The original simply ignored him and continued talking: “But Bekah didn’t say I couldn’t have fun in front of the Grill. So…” There was a manic glint in his eyes as he pulled a large knife out of his coat pocket. Liz fumbled open her purse, even though she knew she’d never be fast enough.  
   
In the blink of an eye the vampire was standing in front of Sean, but he didn’t attack. He pushed the knife into his hand, looked into his eyes and ordered: “Take that and stab the sheriff. Over and over. Until I tell you to stop.” Liz stumbled back, pulling the gun out of her purse and desperately looking for a harmless spot to shoot. She didn’t want to hurt Sean, but he was compelled to attack her and she had to defend herself. The fireman turned towards her and she lifted the gun with shaking hands. But instead of attacking he quickly spun back around and plunged the knife into the surprised original’s neck, shouting for her to run.  
   
Completely taken aback by this new turn of events she couldn’t react. Sean grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the car, but the vampire was faster and cut them off. He looked horrible. He had pulled the blade out of his neck and the wound had already closed again, but it had bled profusely. His shirt was drenched in blood, his face vamped out in anger. “That wasn’t what I had planned.” he growled, lunging at Sean. Liz lifted the gun again, but she couldn’t use it while the two were wrestling with each other. The risk of hitting the wrong man was too high. She could only watch helplessly as Sean tried in vain to fend the vampire off.  
   
The original punched him hard in the stomach and then threw him against a parked car. Groaning in pain Sean slid to the ground. Blood trickled out of a wound at his forehead. Liz took the chance to fire a couple of shots at the original, hitting him in the left knee and the chest, but missing his temple by a few inches. It was enough to slow him down, but she knew she wouldn’t have enough time to get Sean into the car, get in herself and drive off. So instead she pulled the phone out of her purse and dialed Damon’s number with trembling fingers.  
   
The original was limping towards her, baring his teeth in a grimace. She backed away, holding the gun up with one hand, lifting the phone to her ear with the other. It rang once, twice… Her back hit the wall. She was trapped - had nowhere to go. The vampire evaded the next bullet, before knocking the weapon out of her hand. “You’ve reached the mailbox of Damon Salvatore. I’m busy and most likely naked…” came Damon’s voice through the phone and she bit back a curse. Would those be the last words she ever heard? The original grinned savagely, reached for her as if in slow motion, when suddenly a dark figure appeared behind him and broke his neck effortlessly, sending him crumbling to the floor.  
   
The blonde stared in complete shock at her savior in his expensive suit and didn’t even notice when the phone slipped from her fingers, landing on the street with a loud clatter. She couldn’t form a coherent thought. “I apologize for my brother’s rude behavior. I was engrossed in a … discussion with Niklaus and hadn’t noticed that Kol and Rebekah left the house. Kol has always had a rather bad temper. I hope he didn’t cause too much trouble.”  
   
Liz shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. It was all too much. Elijah obviously took that as a no, because he looked over at Sean, who was just getting up again and asked if she wanted him to compel the fireman. “No!” Liz cried in shock, earning herself a puzzled look. “No, thank you. That won’t be necessary.“ she repeated a little calmer. Elijah’s stare was unnerving. The smile tugging at his lips even more. “Alright then. I’ll take Kol home and make sure that something like this will not happen again. Once again my apologies.” the original murmured. He picked up his brother, politely bade her goodnight and walked off.   
   
The blonde stared after him, still in shock. Only slowly she managed to calm her nerves. Breathing deeply a few times she forced herself to get past the shock and think rationally. First she had to make sure that there were no witnesses. Lucky for her the noise inside the Grill seemed to have drowned out the sound of her shots, because the street was still empty. That was at least a start. She picked up her phone, glad that it still worked and called the sheriff’s office. If the deputy wondered about the fact that she called to ask if there had been any emergencies, he didn’t let on. Maybe he thought she was only being overly worried. He told her that everything had been quiet so far. She thanked him and hung up, breathing a sigh of relief.   
   
A lot calmer she finally went over to Sean, who was leaning against his car, watching her with a strange expression. “Don’t worry, it looks worse than it is.” he assured when he noticed her worried look. Aside from the gash on his forehead she couldn’t detect any real wounds, but he was covered in blood. She was unable to tell if it was his own or the vampire’s. “I’ll take you to the hospital. Just to be sure.” she decided. “And what are you going to tell them?” Sean asked critically. The blonde just shrugged. “Nothing. And now get in. I’ll drive.“  
   
The fireman obeyed, quietly getting into the passenger-seat and staring at her, while she drove towards the hospital. “You were prepared for a vampire attack.” he noticed after a while. “Not prepared enough.” Liz had to admit. “But you know, about vampires and stuff.” She glanced at him. “I told you Mystic Falls isn’t a quiet and peaceful little town. But you knew that, didn’t you? You take vervain.” He nodded, but didn’t say anything more. And Liz was quiet as well. Even though he tried to hide it, Sean seemed to be in pain. Her questions could wait until he felt better.  
   
She pulled her phone out of her pocket and called Meredith Fell, who was luckily on duty tonight. “I’ve got a V5- attack-victim. He knows. We’ll be at the hospital in a few minutes.“ The doctor understood immediately and promised to wait for them at the entrance. Not for the first time Liz was grateful that they had developed certain codes for situations like this. Only a few people at the hospital knew about vampires and the codes not only made it easier to help the victims, but also to fake the necessary paperwork. “A what victim?” Sean wanted to know, but Liz only shook her head. “We’ll talk later.“ she promised in a tone that told him arguing would be a waste of time.  
   
***  
   
As promised Meredith was already waiting for them at the entrance and rushed Sean into a room immediately. Liz paced through the hallway while she waited. Her mind was back on the attack. She was all too aware of the fact that she wouldn’t have survived if Elijah hadn’t shown up at the very last second. Her fight with the original – Kol? – had clearly shown her how weak she was, compared to a vampire. Without the element of surprise she didn’t stand much of a chance. A gun with wooden bullets was a good idea, but not nearly enough when it really came to a fight. She needed to be better prepared or she might not be so lucky next time.  
   
Maybe she should talk to Alaric about it. Damon had told her that the teacher was very creative when it came to designing new weapons. She could use his help and his knowledge. And she had to tell Damon about the incident tonight and ask both men to have another talk with Elijah. But first she wanted to have a talk with Sean and make sure that he was on their side. The fireman could be a useful ally. Or a great risk. Before she didn’t know which it would be, she didn’t want to inform Damon. She knew how rash the vampire sometimes acted.  
   
Finally Meredith emerged from the room. “How is he?” Liz asked immediately. “It really looked worse than it is, don’t worry. He’s got a few cuts and bruises and a gash on his forehead, but nothing serious. I’m keeping him here overnight, just to be sure, but he should be okay by tomorrow morning.” the doctor let her know. Liz breathed a sigh of relief. At least some good news. She thanked Meredith, who went to take care of the paperwork, while Liz entered the room to talk to Sean. “Rest up now. We can talk tomorrow. But I would ask you not to talk about tonight to anyone, yet.“  
   
“Yeah, don’t worry. I don’t even know who would believe me and I don’t feel like visiting the psychiatric ward.” he assured with a wry smile. Liz choose not to comment on that. She put his keys down next to the bed. “I’ll leave your car outside. Sleep now. I’ll stop by your apartment tomorrow, okay?“ He nodded. “Alright. Just not that early, okay? At least give me some time to clean up first. Can’t have you seeing something embarrassing.” There was that smile again and this time Liz smiled back, glad that he wasn’t holding anything against her. And he would probably need that wry sense of humor, if he chose to stay in Mystic Falls.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter you get to know more about Sean. Let me know what you think of him.

Damon and Alaric were woken by loud knocking on the bedroom door. “Ric? Are you up yet?” Elena called timidly. The teacher sat up quickly, giving his boyfriend an almost panicked look. Damon rolled his eyes, getting out of bed and collecting his clothes, before leaning against the wall behind the door, so Elena wouldn’t be able to see him. Of course he did all that at vampire speed, so he was already leaning against the wall by the time Ric had finally gotten out of bed and was pulling on his boxers. Elena knocked again, getting impatient.  
   
Ric quickly pulled on a shirt and opened the door a crack. “Elena? What’s wrong?” he asked cautiously. “Nothing. I just wanted to go grocery shopping and thought I’d ask if you need anything.” the brunette explained. “Ahh no, thanks.” Elena nodded, gave him an understanding smile and told him she had already made coffee. She obviously thought he was hung-over again. Wouldn’t be the first time.  
   
With a sigh he closed the door and turned to Damon, who was already dressed and giving him a dark look. Ric could already guess what he was thinking. “It’s starting to get old, Ric.” the vampire grumbled. “I know. I’m sorry.“ the teacher mumbled. He knew that he hurt Damon with all this secrecy and he hated himself for it. But he just couldn’t help it. He was so fucking scared of how people would react to them being a couple.  
   
“Do you want me to sneak out through the window again or do I get breakfast?” the vampire snarked. “Of course you can stay for breakfast.” Alaric assured quickly. “Yeah, as long as I pretend that I’ve just arrived. I know the drill.“ Damon’s icy tone made Ric flinch. He deserved this anger, he knew. And he could understand Damon, but he just couldn’t shake this fear. Slowly he walked over to his boyfriend, pulling him into his arms. “I’m sorry Damon. I don’t want to keep us a secret forever. I promise. I just.. need a bit more time, okay?“ he asked quietly. Damon sighed and gave him quick peck on the lips. “A bit time, Ric. I won’t wait forever.” he warned.  
   
Alaric tried to make it up a little by making breakfast. Meanwhile Damon was playing around with his phone. “Hey, Liz called yesterday. Pretty late.” he told his boyfriend. “Yeah? What did she want?“ Ric asked from his position at the stove, where he was flicking pancakes. “No idea, she didn’t leave a message. I guess I’ll better call her back.” the vampire decided. There had to have been a valid reason for her to call this late.  
   
“Hey Liz. I just saw that you called last night. What happened? Do I have to break the fireman’s neck after all?” he joked. Liz hesitated, which made him a little suspicious. And her voice sounded strained when she finally answered. “No, you don’t. Please stay away from him.” Which was an odd thing to say. She should know that he’d only been joking, right? She knew him well enough. “Is everything okay?” he prodded worriedly. “Yes, of course. It’s just… one of the originals caused some trouble last night.” she finally admitted. Her voice still had a strange ring to it. “Okay, what happened? Tell me everything.” Damon ordered, now really worried.  
   
Sheriff Forbes sighed. “Like I said, this original, I think his name is Kol, showed up and … tried to cause trouble. He was spoiling for a fight, I think. Kept saying he was bored.” She snorted. “And then?“ Once again she hesitated. “Nothing, really. Elijah came and stopped him, before he could do much damage. But… I’m afraid this Kol will cause trouble sooner or later. Elijah promised that something like this wouldn’t happen again, but I’m not sure how much control he really has over his siblings.”  
   
Damon cursed. “Barely any control, if you ask me. I caught a hybrid sneaking around my house yesterday. That was the reason I stopped by.” he admitted. “Damn it. I thought we had at least gotten rid of that problem.“ Liz grumbled. “Yeah, guess we thought wrong. Looks like we’ll have to talk to Klaus again. And not only to him.“ the vampire murmured. “Yes, I was hoping you could talk to Elijah again. He seems nice enough. Maybe he can convince his siblings to move away. I’m afraid that’s the only way we can get some peace and quiet here.”  
   
“Okay, we’ll talk to him.” Damon promised, before changing the subject by asking about her date. Again she hesitated. “It was okay.” she mumbled. “Just okay? Is he a dick? Or a psychopath after all? Did you get lucky? Come on, I want details.“ The blonde laughed. “Forget it. I gotta go anyways. Keep me updated on the originals, okay?“ Damon pouted, even though he knew she couldn’t see it. “Spoilsport. After the second date I want a detailed report.” Still laughing Liz simply hung up.  
   
Damon grinned as well. “Do I want to know what that was about?” Ric asked skeptically, putting the fresh pancakes on front of him. “The originals are causing trouble again. At least one of them. Liz wants us to have another chat with Elijah. Get him to talk his siblings into moving away.” the vampire explained. “And you really think that’ll work?” Damon shrugged. “No clue. And truth be told I don’t feel like paying a visit to Klaus and his family.” he had to admit. “I could take a look into Rebekah’s folder at school. Maybe they’ve got an official phone number or something.” Ric suggested. “Sounds like a plan. We’ve earned ourselves a weekend off, don’t you think?“ Ric could only agree.  
   
***  
   
It was early afternoon when Liz drove to Sean’s apartment. She just couldn’t wait any longer. Damon’s phone-call in the morning had only served to heighten her nervousness and worry. She’d completely forgotten that she had tried to call the vampire last night during Kol’s attack and therefore had been caught off guard by his call. But she hadn’t wanted to tell him about the attack. Not yet. Not before she had spoken to Sean.  
   
The fireman had obviously already been waiting for her, because he opened the door only seconds after her knock. There was a bandage on his head and a dark bruise on his left arm, but aside from that he seemed to have recovered well. He said as much when she asked how he felt. He smiled and held the door open for her, but Liz noticed immediately that he hadn’t really invited her in. She wondered if it was some sort of test. He obviously knew quite  a bit about vampires.  
   
She didn’t comment on it and only stepped into the room, taking a seat on the couch. The apartment looked neat, like he’d actually cleaned up because of her visit. Or maybe he was just usually organized. “I just made coffee. Do you want a cup?” Sean asked. She nodded and waited impatiently while he went to the kitchenette. When he returned he put two cups of coffee onto the table and sat down in an armchair across from her. Liz took a sip, shoved down her nervousness and looked him directly in the eye. She was here as sheriff, not as Liz Forbes. “You obviously take vervaine and you know about vampires. So I guess you knew what would await you here in Mystic Falls.”  
   
Sean seemed surprised that she didn’t beat around the bush, but he recovered quickly. “I’m taking vervaine every day since I was twelve. As a precaution. But yes, I had a pretty good idea of what I’d find here.” he explained. It was Liz turn to be surprised. “Since you were twelve?” she repeated in disbelief. He only nodded, which caused her to prod: “If you’ve known about vampires for so long, there has to be a reason. No-one tells a child this young unless they have to. So what happened? How did you… find out?”  
   
He hesitated, seemed unsure, but in the end he started talking: “When I was ten my father and I moved to New Orleans. Shortly after my mother had died. He was a fireman, like me, but he’s retired now. Back then he got a good job and wanted to start over in New Orleans.” He paused, trying to decide how to continue. “I think it was about a year later that he met Mathilda, my stepmother. She’s from New Orleans. She worked at a bar he sometimes frequented with his colleagues. It was love at first sight and he introduced us pretty soon. I liked her. She seemed exotic somehow.” He smiled, lost in the memory.  
   
“One night I realized just how exotic she really was. My father had been hurt in a tough fire. He had some severe burns on his right arm and his torso. He sent me to bed, but I was scared for him and got up again, to make sure he would be alright. I came into the living room and I saw Mathilda… healing his wounds.” Without thinking Liz blurted: “With vampire blood?” Sean shook his head. “With magic. Mathilda’s a witch. Well, she was a witch. She doesn’t practice anymore.“  
   
The fact that his stepmother was a witch surprised Liz just as much as the mention that a witch could obviously just quit being a witch. She’d never heard of that before. But when she tried to ask a question, Sean was already talking again: “She told me everything. About witches and vampires and werewolves, who were living in somewhat peaceful co-existence back then. The leaders of the respective groups had agreed on some sort of truce. It worked for a while, but there were always little fights. As a kid I didn’t notice much of it. Mathilda made sure I took my daily dose of vervaine, so I was protected. But the vampires weren’t really a danger back then. Some time I later I was even friends with one.”  
   
The fireman stopped at that, glancing in her direction, like he feared to anger her with this admission. When she didn’t comment, he continued with the story: “One day the status quo changed. Vampires and witches formed an alliance and the werewolves were killed or banned to the bayou. But even that alliance was fragile. Everyone wanted more power than the other had. Mathilda was so sick of all the fights and politics. When my father retired they left New Orleans. The other witches were so angry at her. Especially her younger sister Fleur. She never understood how Mathilda could just give up her powers like that.” Upon seeing Liz’ inquiring look he explained: “The witches of New Orleans practice ancestral magic. The cemetery in New Orleans is filled with the remains of their ancestors. Without access to them, they lose their powers. But Mathilda didn’t care. She just wanted peace.”  
   
“And why did you leave New Orleans?” Liz wanted to know. He shrugged. “I’m not really sure, truth be told. Maybe I just needed to get away from everything. My friend Jake, the vampire I told you about… he died. Killed in a fight. Maybe that was the last straw for me. He was my best friend. My closest confidant. Losing him was… horrible. I just wanted to get away.“ Again he shrugged, like he didn’t know what else to say. Or like he had already said to much, the blonde mused.  
   
“Damn, you’re really a good sheriff. It’s unusual for me to spill all my family secrets like this.” he joked weakly, proving her point. She smiled warmly. “I’m sorry about your friend.” she whispered. Sean looked surprised. “He was a vampire.” he muttered, but Liz shrugged. “He was your friend. That’s what matters. Not all vampires are bad. Some of them can be.. nice.“ Even if she had needed a lot of time to accept that. He seemed relieved to hear her say that. “They are. But not everyone thinks so. Somehow… I always felt like I was caught in the middle, you know? Because of Mathilda and Fleur I felt obliged to the witches, but through Jake, my best friend, I also sided with the vampires.”  
   
Once again he was looking at her strangely, like he wasn’t sure if it was really wise to tell her all this. Like he was afraid what she might do with that knowledge. It was an act of trust, she realized, talking about his past like that, although he barely even knew her. And so she decided to trust him as well. “I understand what you mean. I often feel the same.“ she admitted. And then she told him about the founders council, the old diaries and the history of Mystic Falls. “My whole life I’ve been taught to hate vampires. I’ve been taught that they’re ruthless monsters, that have to be hunted down and killed. And now … I’m friends with some of them.” she finally ended. She didn’t trust him enough to tell him the names of those vampires, let alone the name of her daughter.  
   
“Like Damon Salvatore?” Sean prodded. Liz looked at him in shock, so he explained: “I’ve seen the daylight ring on his finger. I just wasn’t sure if you’re aware that he’s a vampire.” She nodded slowly, took some time to process this. He was very observant, she had to remember that. “Yes, I know it.” she admitted. “Damon is a good friend. And an ally. He helps me to protect this city from the evil vampires. At least he tries to.”  
   
“Vampires like Klaus Mikealson.” the fireman guessed. “You really know a lot.” Liz commented, giving him a suspicious look. He hadn’t told her everything yet, she realized and she couldn’t help but wonder if she’d been stupid to trust him. Even though he seemed nice and honest. When he admitted: “I didn’t come to Mystic Falls by chance.” her mistrust heightened. “Why did you come here? What do you really want?“ she asked, the sheriff’s authority dripping from each word. This wasn’t a social call, she reminded herself sharply. She was interrogating him, not having a chat.  
   
He met her eyes, looking completely earnest. “After leaving New Orleans I drove around aimlessly for a while. I didn’t know where to go. Aunt Fleur, Mathilda’s sister, called me every now and then to keep me updated. The witches had this ancient ritual planned, to strengthen their powers. But something went wrong and now the vampires rule the city. They united under one leader, who’s supposedly a bit of a tyrant. The witches are being enslaved by him. So… Fleur asked for my help.” Sean hesitated a bit, but then continued: “They want to get rid of him. Restore the balance, they say. But to do that they need the help of Klaus Mikaelson. I don’t know any details. I only know that their plans entails them luring Klaus to New Orleans and getting him to agree to an alliance.”  
   
“That doesn’t explain why you’re here.” Liz prodded. “Well… Klaus won’t just come to New Orleans just because the witches ask nicely. They’ve got a plan to lure him there, but to do that they need something… personal of him. A personal item.” Sean explained. “And you’re supposed to get that personal item for them?“ He nodded, looking honest and a little bashful. “So your aunt expects you to break into the house of five original vampires and steal something from the most dangerous one of them?” the blonde summarized, giving him an incredulous look. “I guess she thinks I’d make a marvelous thief.” he commented with a wry grin. Liz couldn’t help but grin back.  
   
She couldn’t tell why, but she trusted this man. And she liked him. “Looks like we have a common goal.” she mused. “We both want Klaus to leave this town. Though I sincerely hope he takes his siblings with him.“ Because Kol seemed at least as dangerous as the hybrid and she didn’t trust Rebekah either. “And what does that mean?” Sean wanted to know. “It means we should work together.“ she decided. Because she could use any help she could get. And when someone came to her town who knew about the supernatural it was a chance she just had to take. Grinning he asked: “Sounds good. So you want to break into the Mikaelson residence with me, sheriff?”  
   
“Maybe we should try to come up with a plan that’s less likely to end with us dead. And I think some more help might also be in order.” He gave her a questioning look, but Liz just smiled and said: “I think it’s time for you to meet some people.” while she pulled her phone out of her pocket.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A rather short chapter this time and not much happens. Well, plans are made and Damon proves he can be nice.

“Do you have any idea what Liz wants to discuss with us?” Alaric asked, while he helped Damon set the table. “Not the slightest.” the vampire had to admit. “She was very secretive. I don’t even know who she’ll bring for dinner. Or why she wanted him to be there.” he said, pointing to Stefan, who sat on the couch, writing in his diary. “I’d rather be somewhere else right now.” the younger one grumbled without looking up. His brother ignored him and continued: “I really hope she’s not bringing vampire Barbie.”  
   
“Why should she bring Caroline? Doesn’t make much sense, does it?” Ric mused. “Probably not. But you’ll never know. First I was thinking of Carol Lockwood. But why should she keep it a secret then?” Damon wondered. The thought wasn’t far-fetched, since the four of them were the only ones on the founders council who knew the truth about this town. The teacher was about to comment, when the doorbell rang. Liz was pretty much the only person who actually used the doorbell when visiting the boarding house. Everyone else just came barging right in. “Stefan, get the door.” the older Salvatore ordered. “Get it yourself.“ Stefan shot back petulantly. “I’ll get it.“ Ric intervened, before they could start a fight again. Sometimes those two were behaving like little kids.  
   
It really was Liz, accompanied by a guy who looked vaguely familiar. But Ric couldn’t place him right now. A little puzzled he asked them in and led them to the dining room, where Liz introduced her companion. “This is Sean Mitchell, our new chief fireman. Alaric Saltzman, history teacher and vampire hunter. You’ve already met Damon Salvatore. And this is Damon’s brother Stefan. He’s a vampire, too.”  
   
Ric wasn’t the only one staring at the blonde in shock. She only shrugged dismissively and explained: “Sean knows about vampires and stuff. And he can maybe help us to get rid of Klaus.”  
   
Damon was the first to recover. “So, can he? And how is he going to do that?” he asked challengingly. “It’s a long story. Why don’t we sit down and discuss it in detail?” Liz asked. The dark-haired vampire exchanged a quick look with Alaric, before agreeing: “All right. Let’s have a seat and eat first. Dinner should be ready and no-one can say I’m not a good host.”  
   
While Liz, Sean and Stefan took a seat at the table, Damon served dinner and Alaric uncorked the wine. For the next couple of minutes everyone was silent, aside from a few comments and compliments about Damon’s tasty risotto and Liz obvious surprise at his cooking skills.  
   
Once the plates were cleared away, Liz told the truth about yesterday’s events and Kol’s actions, before Sean chimed in with the short version of his family history and the plan of the New Orleans witches, as far as he knew it. “Okay, so you want us to steal something from a psychotic original hybrid, then send whatever we stole to a bunch of enslaved witches and leave the rest up to them, yeah?” Damon summed it up. “Pretty much, yes.” Sean confirmed, keeping a straight face. The older Salvatore once again exchanged a look with Alaric. “Sounds like a piece of cake.” he muttered sarcastically.  
   
“And what are the witches going to do then?” the teacher wanted to know. “I don’t know any more details. Fleur only told me that they need a personal item to lure Klaus to New Orleans. Once he’s there they want to form an alliance against the vampire who now rules the city. The originals have obviously lived in New Orleans in the past and made the city what it is today.” Damon and Alaric didn’t look pleased with this answer. Stefan on the other hand appeared thoughtful. “He used to talk about New Orleans a lot.” he let the others know. “About how great everything was and how much he misses those times.”  
   
“So it might be possible to convince him to stay there.” Sean mused. “But first we have to actually get him to go there. I don’t think it’ll work if we suggest that he needs a holiday, right?” Damon asked rhetorically. “So we really have to steal something from him.“ Liz sighed. “And how do you propose we do that? It would be hard enough breaking into the house of one original. But there are five of them. And who knows how many hybrids.” Ric reminded. “We would need to lure them out for a while. But how do we do that?“ Sean mumbled. “A party? I could ask Carol Lockwood to throw one and give some founders event as an excuse. We could invite the originals. To welcome them to the neighborhood.” Liz suggested.  
   
“Not a bad idea. But we can’t be sure that they all actually attend the party. And even if they do, Klaus might leave some of his hybrids behind.” Ric warned. “We really need to get rid of these damn hybrids again anyways. They’re really bringing the neighborhood down.” Damon grumbled, giving his brother a pointed look. “Yeah, I already said I’d talk to Klaus. Remind him of our deal.” the younger vampire shot back annoyed. “But leave Elena out of it this time.“ Alaric ordered, earning himself an eyeroll from Stefan.  
   
“Okay, so maybe we can get rid of the hybrids. And then? Do you want me to talk to Carol about a party?” Sheriff Forbes spoke up again. The others nodded hesitantly. It was the best option they had. “Wait a few more days, okay? I might have an idea. If it doesn’t work out, we’ll ask Carol to throw a party. We need to wait for Klaus to send his little hybrid-pets off first anyways.” Damon decided. But he didn’t want to talk about that idea of his, which caused not only Alaric to worry, but Liz as well. Still they left it at that and ended the discussion.  
   
While Sean and Alaric got comfortable on the couch and Stefan went to his room to sulk or write in his diary or whatever he did there all day, Liz followed Damon into the kitchen to help with the dishes. “I’m not telling you my secret plan. So don’t even try.” the vampire insisted. “Can you at least promise me that you won’t put yourself or anyone else in danger?“ the blonde asked. “Yeah, that I can do.“ She nodded, at least a little placated. “Okay, then I won’t ask again.” She knew that he wouldn’t tell her anything. He could be damn stubborn.  
   
“So…. What’s with you and the fireman now?” Damon changed the topic. “Honestly? I have no idea.“ Liz admitted with a sigh. “How was your date? The little vampire attack at the end put aside? Did you have fun?” he prodded. She hesitated, but nodded at last. “Yes, I did. It was … a nice evening. We talked and laughed. And… before Kol showed up we agreed that we want to repeat it.“  
   
“Sounds good.“ the vampire muttered, looking at her expectantly. Liz only shrugged. “I don’t know. After all this… can I really allow myself to get even closer to him?“ She hated admitting those insecurities. Especially in front of Damon, who had a habit of mocking everything and everyone. But she had no-one else to talk to about this. She had no close female friends, maybe aside from Carol Lockwood. And they weren’t that close either. Strangely enough Damon didn’t laugh and didn’t mock. Instead he said completely earnest: “That’s actually more of a plus, isn’t it? I mean, you don’t have to lie to him and keep secrets. He knows everything already. So you don’t have the pressure of keeping him in the dark, needing to find excuses and always being careful.”  
   
“I didn’t look at it this way.” she admitted in surprise. “But… can I really trust him?“ That was probably the most difficult question. But Damon had an easy answer. “You trust him already. You wouldn’t have told him so much if you didn’t. And you sure as hell wouldn’t have brought him here.” Could it really be that easy? Obviously the vampire noticed her doubt, because he advised: “Stop fretting and just see what happens. What have you got to lose? And if he does turn out to be a psychopath after all, I’ll just break his neck. Problem solved.”  
   
She snorted, but a smile was tugging at her mouth. “You really are impossible.“ Damon grinned. “All part of my charm. And now come on. We shouldn’t keep our boys waiting.“ That coaxed a laugh from the blonde. Probably exactly what he had intended. She shook her head and followed Damon to the library, where Ric and Sean had helped themselves to drinks and were talking animatedly.  
   
Liz declined Damon’s offer of a drink, since she needed to drive, but she sat down next to Sean and listened to his stories about the witch rites he’d seen in New Orleans. Soon the discussion turned to their mutual experiences with vampires, witches and werewolves and everyone shared a little memory. The four of them talked and laughed late into the night and in the end they were all surprised how fast time had gone by. When Liz and Sean left some time after midnight, Damon winked at the blonde. She nodded back, smiling slightly. Maybe he was right. What did she have to lose?


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another short chapter this time, sorry. And you probably won't like the ending.

Tuesday afternoon Liz and Sean went to the boarding house again. Damon had called to let them know that he had some news he wanted to discuss. Again it was Alaric, who opened the door. “Please tell me he didn’t do anything stupid this time.” Liz asked. Ric grinned. “Like undaggering four originals, you mean? No, don’t worry. I actually managed to get him to tell me his plan beforehand and I agreed with it. For his standards it was a surprisingly well thought through plan.”  
   
“What’s that supposed to mean? My plans are always great.” Damon chimed in from the doorway to the library. “They’re often good, but only seldom thought through.” the teacher shot back. The vampire shrugged dismissively and disappeared into the library. The others followed him and Liz was surprised to find someone waiting there. “Caroline, what are you doing here?” she asked in shock, her eyes flitting from her daughter to Sean. He knew that she had a daughter, but not that her daughter was a vampire. And he also hadn’t met her yet. Liz had wanted to wait before introducing them. They’d only had two dates so far – not counting the talk at his apartment and the dinner at the boarding house – and she wanted to get to know him better, before allowing him to meet Caroline.  
   
“Damon asked for my help with Klaus.” the blonde vampire explained, shaking her mother from her thoughts. Furious she turned to Damon. “You dragged my daughter into this? And without consulting me first?” The older Salvatore lifted his hands in a placating gesture. “Relax, Liz. I didn’t put her in danger. It was only a theory and I wanted to talk to her before informing you. So you wouldn’t worry unnecessarily.” His words did nothing to quell her anger, but Sean distracted her by greeting her daughter. “So you are Caroline? Nice to finally meet you. I’m Sean.“  
   
“Nice to meet you, Sean.“ Caroline replied politely, shaking his hand, before turning to her mother. “Don’t worry, mom. Damon didn’t force me into anything and he really didn’t put me in danger. But I think I can help you.” She looked at Sean before continuing: “Damon said you need a personal item from Klaus. How about a drawing that he made? Would that be personal enough?” The fireman gave her a surprised look. “Yeah, that would be perfect. You know how we can get our hands on something like that?” Caroline grinned. “That’s easy.” She pulled a sheet of paper out of her bag. “Klaus is hitting on me all the time. He made this for me. Which is kind of cute actually, but… if it helps to get rid of him and the other originals, then I want you to use it.” Despite her words she seemed reluctant to give the drawing away.  
   
“Wow, he’s got talent.” Sean had admit after taking a look at the drawing. It was a portrait of Caroline and he really had captured her perfectly. Even Liz, who had stepped beside Sean to take a look, had to agree. She didn’t ask why Caroline hadn’t shown her the drawing before. Her daughter was grown up and didn’t need her for everything. “And it really is okay if I send this to my aunt?” Sean checked. “Yes, it is. I want to get rid of Klaus just as much as you all do.“ the blonde vampire assured. “Okay, then. I’ll take this to the post office first thing tomorrow morning.”  
   
“And the hybrids shouldn’t be much of a problem either.” Damon spoke up again. “Stefan had a little chat with Klaus yesterday. He claims that he didn’t allow his hybrids to come back and that the one sneaking around here hadn’t acted on his orders. Not sure if we can believe him, but Stefan threatened him again. So I hope he keeps his part of the deal.”  
   
Liz nodded. “At least some good news. Have you talked to Elijah?” The dark-haired vampire shook his head. “We had no chance yet.” he had to admit. “We wanted to catch him alone and that isn’t quite easy.“ Alaric chimed in. “And if the plan works, it might not even be necessary. I’m hoping Klaus won’t go to New Orleans alone.” Damon added.  
   
“Yes, okay. So I guess now we can only wait.” Sheriff Forbes concluded with a sigh. “Looks like it. “ Damon agreed. “We’ll keep you up to date in case we hear from Elijah or encounter any more hybrids.“ he promised. Sean on his part promised to tell them when he heard from his aunt.  
   
Since all was cleared up for now, Liz, Caroline and Sean left. Damon heard Caroline whispering to her mother that Sean was quite hot for his age. Grinning he closed the door behind them. He was happy for Liz. She deserved a good guy. He had to agree with vampire Barbie on that. And Sean really was a nice guy. He had this open and carefree attitude and knew almost as much about good bourbon as Ric did.  
   
“That went well.” he commented, turning to his boyfriend. “Yeah, it did.” Ric agreed. “It was a good idea to ask Caroline for presents from Klaus. And surprisingly well thought through.” The vampire punched him playfully, pouting for effect. “Hey, it’s not my fault that I have to improvise more often than not. It’s not like I want to act rash all the time. Given enough time I can make great, very well thought through plans.” he defended himself. “I even have another one of those plans.”  
   
“You do? Wanna tell me about it?” Alaric asked with a grin, pushing Damon back against the wall and showing clearly what he was thinking of. The vampire hesitated. Did he really want to do this? Put pressure on Ric like that? He could already imagine his reaction. But he’d given him more than enough time now and his patience was running out. “In about two weeks time the break starts. Which means you’ll have lots of free time. My plan is that you use that time to move in with me.”  
   
Like expected Ric just gave him a disbelieving look, before pulling away from him. Putting some distance between them and turning his back on the vampire. He had expected a reaction like that, but it still hurt. “Damon, I…” the teacher started, but Damon didn’t allow him to finish. “No, Ric. I don’t want another dumb excuse or an apology. A bit of time. That’s what I said. I won’t wait forever. Two weeks is a bit of time. Enough time for you to finally find out what you really want.” The hard words made Ric turn back towards him. “What is that supposed to mean? Are you giving me an ultimatum?”  
   
“Yes, I am. Two weeks, Ric. Either you move in with me then and we go public, or… or we end this whole thing.” It took all of Damon’s willpower to say it. He didn’t want to lose Ric. Anything but that. But he just couldn’t go on like this any longer.  
   
Ric just stared at him for a few seconds. Then he turned away and left without a word. Damon had to resist the urge to throw his glass after him. Instead he sunk down to the ground, staring into nothing. Had he ruined everything now? Had he lost Ric, by pushing too hard? He was tempted to follow his boyfriend and take the words back. But it was too late now. And he didn’t really want to take it back. After the whole Katherine-drama he had sworn to himself that he wouldn’t be played for a fool again. If Ric couldn’t even acknowledge their relationship openly it wouldn’t work out, right? He had done the right thing, by giving him this choice, hadn’t he? But why did it feel so wrong then? Why did it feel like his heart was breaking?


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I started writing this story Alaric's back-Story (in this chapter) wasn't planned like this. But I started thinking that he would need a reason for being so cagey about his relationship with Damon. Or maybe that's just an excuse and I like letting poor Ric suffer. Who knows.

Alaric was sitting at the bar of the Mystic Grill, staring at his glass like it had personally affronted him. When someone sat down next to him he quickly looked up, but his face fell when he saw that it was only Sean, instead of Damon. What had he been expecting? The vampire had made his feelings very clear. And since giving him that ultimatum he was avoiding Ric. Or maybe Ric was the one avoiding Damon. He wasn’t sure. He only knew that they hadn’t seen each other in three days. The longest they’d been apart since… well, he couldn’t even remember since when. Usually they just couldn’t stay away from each other. And even now he missed his boyfriend. But he was also angry at him, for making him chose.  
   
“Ric? Are you okay?” Sean’s worried tone reminded him that he’d been sitting there, simply staring at nothing at all for quite a while, completely ignoring the other man. “Yeah, sorry I was lost in thought. You waiting for Sheriff Forbes?” he asked, trying to muster some interest. “No, Liz is on duty tonight. Friday night. Sucks to be the sheriff, huh? But we’ll meet for lunch tomorrow.” Sean told him. Alaric just nodded. While he was somehow glad about the unexpected company, a part of him just wanted to be alone and wallow in misery.  
   
“Where’s Damon?” the older man wanted to know. “No idea. Haven’t seen him.” Ric mumbled, earning himself a sympathetic look. “Did you have a fight? If you want to talk, I’m a good listener.“ Sean offered. “Sometimes it helps to talk to someone who’s not involved. Especially when it concerns relationships. I guess it can’t always be easy to love a vampire.”  
   
Alaric was completely taken aback by these words. “What? We.. I mean I … why do you think we’re a…?” he stammered. “Come on, It’s so obvious you’re a couple.” Sean claimed, suddenly realizing: “But it’s not official, huh? Ah, stupid old me, always getting ahead of myself. Don’t worry. I can keep a secret.“ The teacher felt totally overwhelmed and didn’t know what to say. Being asked about his relationship like that was a shock. But Sean didn’t seem to mind and maybe it really would help, talking to someone else. So when Sean offered: “Why don’t we move to that table in the corner? We could talk without being overheard.”, he hesitated just a bit, before agreeing.  
   
They took a seat at the quiet table, ordered two more glasses of bourbon and were silent for a while. “How long have you been together?” Sean finally broke the silence. “A little over a year.” Alaric admitted, wanting to know how the older man had found out. “I’m not sure. It’s just obvious, you know? The way you look at each other and act around each other. I’ve known since that dinner at the boarding house. And then… I saw you in the alley behind the Grill last Sunday.” Ric felt his cheeks blazing and wondered again how he could’ve been so stupid. Kissing Damon in the alley behind the Grill – what had he been thinking? Of course someone would’ve seen them.  
   
“Hey, relax. I don’t think anyone else saw you.“ Sean tried to comfort him, smirking slightly. Ric didn’t feel comforted, but didn’t comment. “So what happened? You seemed head over heels. Did you have a fight?“ the older man prodded. “Yeah, we… Damon wants to make it public.” Ric started haltingly. “He talked about it a few times, but I always told him I wasn’t ready. I just need more time. And he accepted that. At least I thought he did. But then… he suddenly asked me to move in with him. Got angry when I told him no. And a few days ago he … he made me chose. If I don’t move in with him during the break and tell everyone we’re together, he’ll… he’ll leave me.”  
   
“Wow, that’s tough.” Sean murmured. Ric sighed. “I know that he hates the secrecy. And I can understand him. To some extent. But he agreed to give me time. And then he suddenly does that.“ he grumbled, surprised that it actually felt good to talk about it. He had been bottling up his feelings far too long. “And why are you so adverse to going public? I mean okay, this is a small town. Not everyone will be ecstatic. But we live in the 21st century. And up till now you didn’t strike me as someone who cared much about what other people think.”  
   
Alaric didn’t answer, simply stared straight ahead, which caused Sean to prod: “Ric? What’s the reason? Have you had… a bad experience?” Yes, he had indeed. But he didn’t want to talk about it. He hadn’t even told Damon, who should have every right to know. Maybe he should have told him. Maybe the vampire would’ve been more patient if he’d known. But Ric didn’t want to be reminded of his past. He just wanted to forget – even if he never could.  
   
“Tell me, Ric. You need to get these things off your chest. Believe me, it helps.“ Sean murmured. “That was ages ago.” Ric insisted. “But it still bothers you. You wouldn’t fight so hard against Damon’s idea if it didn’t still affect you deeply. Bottling it up will only make things worse. Come on, tell me.” The teacher wanted to get up and leave. He wanted to punch the older man in the face for even asking. But something about Sean’s quiet, understanding tone made him stay where he was. Made him tell the story he had never told anyone before. Not Isobel, not Damon.  
   
“I found out that I’m bisexual when I was 16. Back then I fell head over heels in love with a boy from school. His name was Kyle.” He swallowed hard as images of said boy flooded his mind. “Kyle was so cute. Dark hair, blue eyes… Guess I have a certain type.” A small smile played around his lips, but it disappeared in an instant and he continued quietly: “He was gay and rather shy, but still we got together pretty fast. We were so happy. Soon I didn’t want to hide anymore. I wanted everyone to know about our love. My parents had been totally cool about my outing and were really supportive. Kyle’s parents had known for a while and they were really good about it as well. Still, he was scared of going public. But in the end I convinced him.”  
   
Ric stopped, taking a large gulp of bourbon to calm his nerves. Sean waited patiently for him to continue. “The reactions varied. Some of them, a lot of them actually, were very negative, which took me totally by surprise. I was so fucking naïve back then.” He snorted in disgust, shook his head at his own foolishness. He’d been stupid. So damn stupid. “I think Christine’s reaction hit me the hardest. She was my best friend. We grew up together. I knew her since I was five. She lived next door. She was always the little sister I’d never had. And suddenly… I’ll never forget the way she looked at me. With so much contempt. How she told me to my face that I was disgusting and she hated fags. She never said another word to me after that. She still pretends not to know me. And… that wasn’t even the worst of it.”  
   
Again he had to take a break, before he could go on. The memories were overwhelming him. But now that he had started, he wanted Sean to know everything. “About a week after making our relationship public, a few guys from the baseball team were waiting for Kyle when he came home and… His parents found him later and called an ambulance. He was.. in bad shape. Broken ribs, a broken nose, ruptured spleen… He was in hospital for weeks. And it was my fault.” He swallowed hard, fighting the tears that were trying to escape. Once again he saw Kyle lying there in the hospital bed. Saw the accusing stares of Kyle’s parents.  
   
“He broke up with me, once he got out of hospital. His parents moved away with him and I never saw him again. My father put me in a different school, so I wouldn’t have to endure the taunts. Whenever I got into a relationship with a guy after that, I kept it quiet.” he finally ended.   
   
For a while both men were quiet. “What happened to you is awful. But your situation now is completely different. You’re no helpless teen anymore. And Damon is anything but helpless. I think if some guys with baseball bats decided to attack him, they’d regret it quickly.” Sean finally broke the silence. “I know that he can look after himself. But I just…I can’t get the images of Kyle out of my head. Lying there in hospital, hooked to machines, his face purple and swollen… And it’s not only that. I’m afraid of Elena’s reaction. She’s like a … little sister or maybe a niece for me. What if she reacts like Christine did? If she despises me?”  
   
“You shouldn’t expect the worst of her. And even if she does react badly… you can’t let other people rule your life. If you really love Damon you’ll have to take that risk. Or you could lose him in the end. And first of all you need to tell him the truth.” Sean advised. Ric wanted to protest, but the older man cut him off. “He needs to understand, Ric. He probably wonders if you’re ashamed of him. Thinks it’s his fault that you don’t want people to know. He wouldn’t have done what he did if he knew about your past.”  
   
The teacher thought about it for a moment and had to agree that Sean was probably right. Damon needed to know. But before he could say as much, Liz Forbes entered the Mystic Grill. Ric didn’t miss the way Sean’s face lit up when he saw her. He really had it bad. “Go to her. You’ve listened to my problems long enough. I should leave now.“ he decided. “Okay, but only if you promise me that you’ll talk to Damon. And the drinks are on me.” Sean insisted. Alaric nodded. “I’ll talk to him. Thanks Sean. For everything.“ The fireman shrugged it off, telling him it was nothing. Ric watched as he went to join Liz, who greeted him with a smile. Then the teacher left the Grill, surprised at the fact that he’d obviously made a new friend.  
   
For a while he drove around aimlessly, trying to organize his thoughts. Musing on his talk with Sean and memories of the past. When he finally pulled into the driveway of the boarding house it was almost 2 am in the morning. Despite the time he found Damon in front of the fireplace, like the vampire had been waiting for him. He probably had. Ric sat down next to him on the couch, looked into those blue eyes he loved so much and took a deep breath. “I need to tell you something. About my past.”


	11. Chapter 11

Ric was leaning against the kitchen counter, watching with a fond smile while Damon handled various pots and pans. Sean had called in the morning, telling them he had news from the witches and the dark-haired vampire had invited him and Liz to dinner again. “Here, try the sauce. Does it taste okay?” Ric took the spoon his boyfriend was waving in his direction and tried. “Yeah, it’s perfect.” Damon grinned, pressed a quick kiss to lips and went back to cooking.  
   
Alaric was really glad that he had taken Sean’s advice and finally told his boyfriend about his tough past. Damon had been great about it. He had put his arms around Ric and just held him while he talked. Then he had assured the teacher that he could look after himself and promised that everyone who dared to make a stupid comment in Ric’s direction would feel his wrath. Even if it was an original. Ric had laughed and kissed him and finally told him how much he loved him.  
   
Their relationship had deepened since then. Damon was understanding and patient and hadn’t mentioned the idea of Ric moving in with him again. Ric had thought about it a lot and even talked to Sean about it, but he wasn’t sure yet. And they also had other problems right now. Two days ago Kol had shown up during cheerleader practice to annoy his sister. They probably had Elijah’s quick interference to thank for the fact that all the cheerleaders survived. Poor Tiffany was still in hospital and Amber also wouldn’t be training anytime soon, still nursing her two cracked ribs.  
   
The doorbell interrupted his thoughts. “Why does she still insist on using the bell? No one else does.” Damon wondered. “She’s probably just too polite to barge in like everyone else does.” Ric mused, going to open the door. Liz and Sean greeted him with matching smiles. “Dinner is almost ready. Take a seat.” the teacher asked, returning to the kitchen to help Damon serve. “Just to give you the good news first: The plan seems to be working.” Sean let them know.  
   
“Yeah? What did the witches say?” Damon prodded. “Not much. Only that it worked.“ the fireman had to admit. “But Klaus showed up at our house earlier today and asked to see Caroline. He gave her another drawing and told her he had to leave town for a few days.” Liz added. “A few days?” the vampire asked skeptically. “Well, at first the witches just wanted to lure him to New Orleans. Then they have to convince him to stay, once he’s there. And maybe his siblings will follow him eventually.”  
   
“Let’s hope they do.” Damon grumbled. “Are the witches at least keeping you up to date? Or is everything else secret witchy stuff?” Sean chuckled. “I think they’ll at least tell me if Klaus stays. Fleur promised to call me when she has news.” he explained. Damon accepted this and kept quiet, although he looked like he had a thousand more questions. They enjoyed dinner together, before taking seats in the library, where they talked for a few hours. Again it was long after midnight when Sean and Liz finally left.  
   
“I think I could get used to double-dates. At least with those two.” Damon commented with a smirk. Alaric chuckled. “Yeah, Sean is a nice guy. Liz is lucky.“ he agreed. “Hmm, not a bad catch. And it was about time. She’s quite the catch herself. It’s a wonder she’s been on her own for so long.” Ric pulled his boyfriend closer with a grin. “Quite the catch, huh? Should I be worried?“ he joked. “Maybe. Should I be worried about you and Sean?“ Damon shot back, having noticed how well the two men got along.  
   
“Not really. I like him. He’s fun, but not my type. He’s just a friend. You… are something else entirely.” Alaric whispered. “And what exactly am I?“ the vampire wanted to know, moving even closer, so he was almost in Ric’s lap. “You’re the guy I’m in love with. The one I want to spend the rest of my life with.“ the teacher admitted quietly. He had never said it aloud like that, but he couldn’t imagine his life without Damon anymore. The vampire looked like he wanted to say something, but didn’t dare to. “Say it. Whatever it is.” Ric prodded.  
   
“Would it be too soon to propose that the rest of your life could be a few hundred years?“ Damon asked hesitantly, unsure how his boyfriend might react. Ric was silent for a while. “With how chaotic our life is and all the dangers we face every other day, I almost expected this proposition to come sooner.” he finally murmured. He didn’t look surprised or angry and Damon allowed himself a moment of hope. “Does that mean you… already thought about it?” To his surprise Alaric nodded. He hadn’t expected that. “And?” he just had to prod.  
   
“And I want to be there for the kids. As a teacher, I mean. I want to help them get through school. I don’t know if I could keep teaching as a vampire.” he murmured. “So that’s a no?” Damon asked, trying not to show his disappointment too clearly. “It’s a not yet. After Jeremy is finished with high school. Okay?“ The vampire almost couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Yes, okay.“ he agreed immediately. He could wait that long if he had to. “If you really think you can stand having me around for a few hundred years, that is.“ Ric joked. “I want you around for at least a thousand years.“ Damon assured, looking at him earnestly. “I love you, Ric.” The teacher smiled. “I love you, too.“ he whispered back, before sealing Damon’s lips with a kiss.  
   
The vampire allowed his boyfriend to push him back onto the couch, groaning when Ric leaned over him and started kissing and nipping at his throat. Damon’s hands caressed the teacher’s broad back, before pulling him up for another sensual kiss, arching against him and moaning into his mouth.  
   
“Get a room.” Both looked up in surprise. Neither of them had heard Stefan entering the library. Luckily he didn’t seem to mind too much. He ignored them, pointedly turning his back on them and getting himself a drink. Ric got up with a grin, pulling his boyfriend up as well. “We’ll do that. Good night, Stefan.” he replied cheerfully, pulling Damon towards the stairs.  
   
***  
   
Late next morning they were awoken by Stefan barging into Damon’s bedroom, telling them Elijah was there and wanted a word with them. Surprised and not sure if the younger Salvatore was only trying to pull their leg they made it out of bed, got dressed and went downstairs, where they really found Elijah waiting in the library. “Elijah, to what do we owe the pleasure of your visit?” Damon asked. Elijah smiled slightly. “I wanted to inform you that I will have to leave town for a while. We have heard rumors about a conspiracy against Niklaus. He’s already on his way to New Orleans to investigate and I don’t want to leave him alone there. My brother can be a bit… rash in his actions.” the original explained and Damon snorted. Rash? That was putting it lightly. Psychotic would be a better description.  
   
“I convinced Kol to accompany me. So he won’t cause any trouble here. Rebekah on the other hand decided to stay in Mystic Falls.” Elijah let them know. “You had another brother, right? What about him?“ Damon asked. “Like I already told you, Finn has asked to be put to sleep with a dagger again. We granted his wish and brought him to a safe place.” Elijah answered. “Okay, that’s good news. No offense, but your family is bloody difficult.” The words made the original smile again. “None taken. I actually have to agree with you on that.” he murmured.  
   
“Okay then… have a safe trip. Send us a postcard.“ Damon joked, earning himself a poke in the ribs from Alaric. While Elijah was still smiling and looking like he found the whole thing highly amusing, the teacher didn’t want to risk angering him. He was the only original they got along with and Ric wanted to make sure it stayed that way. “Thank you for coming here to tell us.” he added. “It was my pleasure. And please give my regards to the young Miss Gilbert.” the original asked, before taking his leave.  
   
“He’s not so bad, really.” Damon mused. “Although I always get the feeling he’s laughing about us.” Ric shrugged. He got that feeling as well. Something about that weird smile on Elijah’s face. “He’s a thousand years old and related to Klaus. I guess he needs a weird sense of humor to cope.” he answered. “Probably. At least he’s ridding us of Kol. Which means we only have to get rid of Barbie Klaus now.“ The teacher stifled a sigh. Rebekah was surprisingly well behaved lately, but that didn’t mean she would stay that way. “We can make plans for that when she starts causing trouble. Until then, let’s just ignore her. And now I need some breakfast. I’m starving.”


	12. Chapter 12

For almost a week it was surprisingly quiet in Mystic Falls. There were no strange deaths, no kidnappings and no mysterious accidents – at least none with a supernatural cause. Liz did wonder how Mr. Benson managed to park his car in the lake, but when Damon commented that you didn’t have to be supernatural to be supernaturally stupid she shrugged it off and let the matter rest.  
   
Damon himself was on alert. It was almost too quiet and he couldn’t shake the feeling that something bad would happen soon. This long period of peace was simply unnatural. And of course he was right.  
   
It started on Thursday, with Stefan moping around, getting drunk and writing in his diary with his best tragic expression. Okay, all in all not that unusual, but in the days before, his mood had steadily improved. He had even smiled a few times. Since returning to school his and Elena’s relationship had taken a turn for the better. They had gotten closer again and Damon had already counted on a happy reunion by the weekend. So his brother’s melancholy surprised him. But Stefan didn’t want to talk about it and only mumbled curses whenever he asked.  
   
Friday afternoon Damon went to the Gilberts, in search of Alaric. School had ended hours ago and the teacher still hadn’t shown up, which worried him a bit. Instead of Alaric he only encountered a hysterical Elena, who threw herself into his arms, sobbing against his chest. Of course he thought her nervous breakdown had something to do with his little brother, but upon asking he only got jumbled sobs, that didn’t make any sense. “Easy, Elena. I don’t understand. Breathe and then tell me again slowly what Stefan did.”  
   
The brunette obeyed, taking a deep breath. “He.. I saw him and… Oh that doesn’t matter now. She’s got Jeremy! Damon, she has my brother and…” the rest of the sentence ended in another sob. “Who has Jeremy?” Damon asked totally puzzled. So this wasn’t about Stefan at all? He got the feeling that he was missing something here. “Rebekah!” the brunette screeched. “She kidnapped Jeremy and he’s hurt and… She wants to ruin my life. First Stefan and now Jeremy…”  
   
That still didn’t make much sense, because Rebekah sure as hell hadn’t harmed Stefan. Damon had seen him only minutes ago, sitting in the library with his diary. Aside from his little depression he’d been fine. The vampire decided to ignore that for now and concentrate on the problem at hand. If Rebekah had really kidnapped Jeremy to hurt Elena they had to act quickly. “You’re sure she has Jeremy?” he checked, only to have her getting hysterical again. “Of course I’m sure. She sent me this. We need to do something, Damon. We need to save him. Damon, help me, please.“ she cried, waving her phone at him.  
   
The vampire rolled his eyes at her dramatics, took the phone and looked at it. Rebekah had sent Elena a picture of a demolished car with the words: Unfortunately your brother managed to survive the crash. But I’m not sure how much longer he’ll survive his injuries. “And you’re sure that’s Jeremy’s car?” he asked. “Of course it is. Look at the license plate!“ Elena hissed. Yeah, like he knew the boy’s license plate. He wasn’t even sure what kind of car little Gilbert owned. But he was smart enough to keep that to himself, while he already made plans to rescue the teen. They would probably need Bonnie to do a locator spell. He doubted Rebekah would be stupid enough to take Jeremy home with her. But first he needed to call Ric.  
   
Or not, because right at this moment the teacher strolled in through the door. Followed closely by Jeremy, who didn’t seem injured in any way. Elena cried his name, ran to him and flung her arms around his neck. Jeremy and Ric turned questioning gazes to Damon. “You’re late.” the vampire murmured, completely ignoring Elena’s outburst. “I met Sean at the supermarket and we talked a bit. And then Jeremy called and asked me to pick him up, since his car disappeared. Probably stolen.” Ric told him, before pointing to Elena, who was still sobbing into her brother’s shoulder. “Would you explain that?”  
   
“Looks like Rebekah stole his car and crashed it. She sent Elena a picture and claimed that Jeremy was injured and dying.” Alaric sighed, while Jeremy peeled his sister off himself, assuring her that he was fine. “Really, I’m not hurt. Miss Hilden gave me detention because I was drawing in class. I had to switch my shift at the Grill with Matt. And once I got out of school, my car was gone.” he told her what really happened. “Wait, does that mean Rebekah destroyed my car?” Damon showed him the picture and the teen cursed. “Fuck, that looks bad!“  
   
“Call Sheriff Forbes and tell her. Maybe you can get the insurance to pay for it if you file an official complaint.” Alaric suggested. “Good idea. I’ll call her right now.“ Jeremy decided, obviously glad to have an excuse to get away from his still sniffling sister. “See, Elena, everything’s fine. And Stefan’s fine, too. He’s sitting at home in front of the fireplace, writing in his diary.“ Damon tried to comfort her. The brunette gave him a strange look, before forcing a smile to her face and hugging him. “Thank you for being there for me, Damon. At least I can always count on you.” she gushed.  
   
Damon patted her back awkwardly. “Yeah, don’t mention it.” He looked to Alaric for help, who was watching the scene warily. The teacher didn’t miss the way Elena was gazing at his boyfriend again. He had hoped she and Stefan would make up soon and this crush on Damon would be forgotten. But it didn’t look like it. Actually it looked like her crush was getting worse.  
   
“Maybe you should lay down for a while, Elena. That whole thing must’ve been hard on you. Get some rest.” Ric suggested, but the brunette shook her head. “No, I’m fine. Since nothing happened really.” she assured, smiling at Damon. “Okay, then… do you have some time? Damon and I wanted to talk to you. There’s… something we wanted to tell you for some time now.“ Damon looked at his boyfriend in obvious surprise, but the teacher nodded. Yes, he was sure. It was way past time to tell Elena the truth. “Okay, let’s go to the living room.” Elena suggested.  
   
“You’re really sure?” Damon asked quietly as they followed her. “Yes, I am.“ Alaric answered. Once they had taken a seat on the couch, with Elena gazing at him expectantly from her place in the comfy chair, he regretted his decision a bit. He was nervous. But he had to tell her the truth. Taking a deep breath he just said it. “Damon and I… are dating. We’re together.” He saw Elena’s eyes widen and her mouth drop open in shock. For a moment she seemed speechless. “You’re…. a couple? A real couple?“ she checked.  
   
“Yep, totally real.“ Damon confirmed, surprising Ric by dropping a kiss onto his lips. “Oh, okay.“ the brunette murmured, looking at him sadly. Alaric was glad that she didn’t appear disgusted yet, but she seemed mostly in shock. For a moment they were all silent, giving her time to process the news. “So… how long have you been together?” she finally asked. “About a year.” Ric admitted, flinching at her shocked look. “A year? And you’re only telling me now?“ There was a note of betrayal in her tone and some accusation. “I’m sorry Elena. It was my fault. I… experienced some shit in the past, when I outed myself as bisexual. So I was reluctant to tell anyone. And also.. you’ve got so much to worry about already. I didn’t want to dump this on you, too.” the teacher tried to explain.  
   
“Dump this on me? Come on, Ric.” Elena scolded. “I’m glad you finally told me. And I’m happy for you. Really. I think you’re good for each other.“ She seemed honest, now that she had gotten over the initial shock (and probably disappointment). Still Ric had to ask: “So you don’t mind?” Elena got up and hugged him. “No, I don’t mind. And it also doesn’t change anything. You’re… my family. Sort of. And when you’re happy, I’m happy too.“ she declared.  
   
Alaric breathed a sigh of relief. His fears had been stupid. Because there was no mistaking Elena’s honesty. She smiled and seemed truly happy for them. “Thanks Elena. That means a lot to me.“ he whispered. “Am I the first one you told?“ she wanted to know. “Yes, you are.” Damon answered. And technically it wasn’t a lie. They hadn’t told Liz or Sean. Both had found out themselves. “So please don’t talk to anyone about it yet, okay? It’s not official yet.” he added.  “Don’t worry. My lips are sealed.“ Elena promised, grinning at them both.  
   
***  
   
About half an hour later a grinning Damon entered the boarding house. Ric was still talking to Elena, who had lots of questions about how and when exactly they had gotten together. He had also promised to drive Jeremy to work later and the vampire would join him at the Mystic Grill for dinner. He felt great. They had finally told Elena and the brunette’s reaction had appeased some of Ric’s fears. She was happy for them. Now that they had taken the first step he hoped that they could soon make their relationship public. Maybe the teacher would even take him up on his offer to move into the boarding house now.  
   
Upon entering the library his good mood lessened. Stefan was still slumped in front of the fireplace. He had put his diary aside and was staring forlornly into the flames. Damon rolled his eyes and sat down next to him. “Okay, spit it out.” he ordered. Stefan didn’t even look up and remained stubbornly silent. He was really starting to grate on Damon’s nerves. “Come on, Stefan. Tell me what happened.“ Still no answer.  
   
“It’s about Elena, right?“ the older Salvatore guessed. “Did you have a fight? Did you do something stupid again? Or wait… is Rebekah involved somehow?” he wondered, remembering Elena’s strange words. First Stefan and now Jeremy, she had said. But Rebekah hadn’t really harmed either of them. “Out with it, Stefan! Or do I have to force it out of you? I won’t just let this go. I’ll do whatever it takes to make you talk.” he threatened.  
   
Stefan sighed dramatically. “She showed up here.“ he finally mumbled, glancing at his brother. “Rebekah. She… she told me that she wants to leave Mystic Falls. Join her brothers in New Orleans. Said she came to say goodbye.” He fell silent again, staring into the flames. Just as Damon was about to prod, he finally admitted: “She… seduced me and… made sure Elena caught us.”  
   
“Wait – Elena saw you having Sex with Rebekah? Wow, that’s devious.” Damon commented. Finally Elena’s words made sense. Barbie Klaus was pretty creative about getting revenge, he had to give her that. “What do I do now? Elena just forgave me for that stupid stunt at Wickery bridge and now this? I’ve lost her. I’ve lost her forever.” Stefan whined. The older Salvatore rolled his eyes in annoyance. Why did his brother always have to be so melodramatic? “Bullshit. She forgave you for threatening to turn her. On the bridge where she almost died. What’s a little cheating compared to that? And you’re not even really together now, are you? So technically you didn’t really cheat on her.”  
   
“She won’t see it this way. This is probably the last straw for her. She’ll think I’m not worth her time. And she’s right.” Stefan insisted. “By sitting here, moping and pitying yourself you sure as hell won’t prove her wrong. Go to her. Apologise. Tell her you fucked up. Tell her you still love her. She’ll forgive you, but you have to fight for her.“ Damon claimed. Elena was a very forgiving person. She had forgiven him a lot of shit in the past. “Or you could claim that Rebekah compelled you to have sex with her. Tell her the big bad original bitch raped you. She’ll have pity and forgive you.”  
   
“I can’t lie to her, Damon!” Stefan protested. “Fine, then don’t. Send her flowers or whatever. But get your ass moving and do something. Don’t just give up. Because this pity party is fucking grating on my nerves!” Damon snapped, getting up and leaving the room. Stefan could really put you down with his depressing attitude.  
   
***  
   
When Damon entered the Mystic Grill some time later he found Alaric at one of the tables, deep in discussion with Liz. He listened in on their talk, but since they were talking about the anti-vampire-weapons Ric had promised the blonde, he turned away and walked to the bar. There he found Elena, listlessly playing with her food. The vampire took a seat next to her. “You okay?” She looked up and forced a smile to her face. “Yeah, I’m fine.” she lied not very convincingly. Damon thought about leaving it at that. His brother’s relationship was none of his business. But knowing those two, they probably needed a little push. And Stefan deserved some happiness.  
   
“Stefan told me what happened.” he let the brunette know. She just looked at him skeptically. “What? Sometimes my baby brother talks to me about his feelings and seeks my advice.” he claimed, giving her a smirk, before continuing with a sigh: “He feels really bad for what happened.” Elena snorted. “And he should.”  
   
“He fucked up. It happens. He’s a Salvatore. We’re well known for making bad decisions.” That at least coaxed a smile from her. “You know him. How easy it is to manipulate him, when you push the right buttons. And Rebekah is a manipulative little slut. She probably took him by surprise. She wanted to get revenge on you and she used Stefan. He was just too stupid to notice. But he’s sorry. Very sorry. He loves you, Elena. He really does.“  
   
“I know. And I know that it’s all Rebekah’s fault and… I’m sure I’ll forgive him in the end. I just can’t stay mad at him. I love him too much. But… I also can’t just ignore the fact that he cheated on me. I saw them together, Damon. And it hurt like hell.” Elena whispered. “So you’re telling me that you plan on giving him the cold shoulder for a while and then you’ll forgive him?” the dark-haired vampire assumed. “I guess so.” she admitted and he sighed in relief.  
   
“I never thought I’d see the day when you try to salvage my relationship with Stefan.” Elena murmured. No wonder. In the past he had actually just tried to destroy their relationship. “I was a dick. Can’t help it. It’s the genes.“ he claimed with a shrug. “No, I think you were jealous. You were alone and lonely and your brother had this great relationship. Now that you have Ric you can be happy for Stefan.” She was probably right about that. But he would never admit it out loud. He didn’t have to. Elena’s knowing grin showed clearly that she knew.  
   
He saw Liz leaving the Grill out of the corner of his eyes, so he excused himself and joined Ric at his table. “So… will you be delivering stakes and vervaine grenades to the sheriff department now?” he joked. The teacher chuckled. “Nah, not really. But I promised Liz to provide her and Sean with some weapons.” he let his boyfriend know. “Have you noticed that it’s always Liz and Sean nowadays?” Damon mused. “Well, I guess our sheriff’s got it bad. But she made a good choice.“  
   
“Yeah, Sean’s a good guy. And she deserves a good guy, after her dick of an ex-husband.” the vampire agreed. “Hmm… And what were you and Elena talking about? She seemed a bit down earlier.“ the teacher changed the subject. “We talked about Stefan. The idiot let Rebekah seduce him and Elena caught them at it. I guess Barbie Klaus planned it that way.“ Damon answered. “Ouch. I was actually waiting for her to get revenge on Elena for that dagger in the back. But I expected something less subtle, truth be told. Some direct attack.”  
   
“Me too. Though I think I like this version better. Her feelings are hurt, but at least we don’t have to save her life yet again. And she and Stefan will make up in time. She said so herself.” the vampire told his boyfriend. “And on the plus side, we’ll probably be rid of Barbie Klaus soon. She told Stefan she would join her brothers in New Orleans. I hope that’s the last we hear of the originals.” Alaric hoped that too. But he figured only time would tell.  
 


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the final chapter. Hope you like it. And thank you all for the lovely comments.

“Okay, that’s really the last ones.” Alaric promised, handing Sean one of the boxes. It was astounding how much stuff he had accumulated over the last two years. He picked up the other box, took one last look at the empty apartment, to make sure he hadn’t forgotten anything. Then he followed Sean outside and locked the door. They put the boxes into the trunk of Sean’s truck and Ric handed the keys back to his ex-landlord. “Thanks again for your help.” Sean shrugged it off. “Don’t mention it. That’s what friends are for, right?“

 

“Right. But I can at least pay for dinner tonight.” the teacher decided. Sean tried to protest, but he cut him off: “Don’t say anything about teacher’s salary. Yours isn’t that much better. And I don’t have to pay rent anymore now, living with my rich boyfriend.” It was still a little strange to say the word boyfriend aloud. But it was also really cool. And he was glad that he had taken Damon up on his offer. The kids had reacted really cool to their outing. No-one had seemed all that shocked about it. Caroline and Bonnie even claimed to have known already. With a grin he finally got into the car and Sean drove off.

 

***

 

Meanwhile Damon and Liz were sitting on the couch in the boarding house, drinking coffee. “Did someone give you grief again?” the blonde wanted to know. Damon and Alaric hadn’t really officially outed themselves, but since they didn’t keep their relationship secret anymore, word had gotten around fast. There had been a few comments and nasty remarks. Especially from two of Ric’s colleagues and a few old sods from the founders council. All in all it hadn’t been too bad and director Weber and Carol Lockwood had made sure to shut the affronting people up quickly.

 

“No, not really. We actually caused less of a stir than we’d anticipated.” the vampire had to admit. He almost seemed disappointed. Had been looking forward to being the town gossip for a while. “I told you. I know my town.” Liz couldn’t refrain from saying. “You did.” Damon admitted. “Well, I’m glad when Ric is finally done with moving his stuff. I had to carry boxes around for the better part of the morning.” he grumbled. Who knew that his boyfriend had so much stuff? At least now Damon understood his wish for a separate bedroom. Not to sleep, Ric had assured upon seeing the hurt look on Damon’s face. Only to store his belongings. Damon had seen the need for the teacher to have his own wardrobe at least (there was no space in his) and agreed. He had also given him Zach’s old office. Neither Stefan nor he ever used it.

 

“And how are things going with you and Sean?” he asked rhethorically. There was no mistaking the fact that things were going great. Liz smiled, like she always did when her boyfriend was mentioned. The sheriff was in love. Damon found it kinda cute. And since the founders party last weekend it was even official. “Things are good. I’m really glad that I finally told him about Caroline being a vampire. He had already guessed and he didn’t mind. They get along well.” The vampire knew that this secret had worried her. And there had never been any doubt about Sean being cool with it. He didn’t mind vampires.

 

“I love the fact that I can talk to him about all the supernatural stuff. That I don’t have to be scared of accidentally letting something slip. That was the main reason for refusing dates for so long.” the blonde admitted. “I told you so.” Damon sing-songed, making her grin. “Yeah, you did. And I have to thank you for that. I’m not sure if I would’ve ever agreed on a date with Sean if it hadn’t been for you pushing me.” The vampire shrugged it off. “Hey, we’re friends, right?” Liz nodded without hesitation. “Yes, we are.” Even if it still felt strange to say that.

 

Their talk was interrupted by the arrival of Ric and Sean, carrying more boxes. “That’s the rest of it. I swear.” the teacher promised, looking at his friend pointedly. Damon rolled his eyes, but helped the two men to unload the boxes and carry them upstairs to Ric’s new room. Liz helped as well, so they were done within ten minutes.

 

“Okay, I’ll start unpacking then. Thanks again for the help.” Alaric said finally. “Stop thanking me. It was no bother. And if I ever decide to move, you can help me.“ Sean decided. “I’ll do that.” the teacher promised. “We’ll see you at the Grill, later. I told Jeremy to save us a table.“ he let the others know. “Yes, let’s hope things stay quiet this time.” Liz murmured, before she and Sean took their leave. They’d had to cancel their last double-date, because one of Klaus’ hybrids had strayed into Mystic Falls in search of his master, wreaking havoc along the way. Luckily this didn’t happen often.

 

“I almost forgot. This arrived by mail today.” Damon remembered suddenly, pulling a postcard out of his pocket and handing it to Ric. “From New Orleans?” Ric frowned, reading the neatly written lines: 

  
  


_Dear Mr. Salvatore and Saltzman,_

_in the end it proved a lucky coincidence that brought my siblings and me back here. We have decided to stay for the time being and try to start over as a family._

_Should any more of my brother’s servants stray into Mystic Falls, please let them know that Niklaus can be found under the above mentioned address._

_Best regards,_

_Elijah Mikaelson._

 

“He actually sent us a postcard?” Damon grinned. “Yep, he did. He’s a cool guy after all.“ He could almost imagine Elijah sitting at an antique desk, writing the card. Probably with that typical smile on his face. While his siblings bickered in the background. He didn’t envy the guy. “Looks like we’re finally rid of the originals for good.” Alaric mused. “Looks like it. But don’t worry. I guess it won’t take long for some other villains to show up and cause trouble. Life would be too boring without it.” Ric was afraid his boyfriend might be right. But whatever life held in store for them next, they would handle it, like they always did – together.


End file.
